Into the Fire
by The Smokey Gerbil Cloud
Summary: Leonides Joannis was a pureblood wizard destined for Slytherin- that is, until his real father appears and his mother finds out he's a half-vampire, kicking him out of the house when he was seven. Growing up is tough for everyone, but when you lust for someone's blood, things get that much harder. Lily and Leo have been best friends for years, but can he confess his heritage?
1. Meet Leo

(A/N): Hey Guys! So, this is a new story that I'm working on. This first chapter is a prologue, and is basically to tell you about my OC character, Leo, who is actually my first male OC to star in their own story. Usually I only have female OC's as the main character, so this is a leap forward in my writing. I hope you like it, even though it's oddly confusing. Also, anything in italic is either a flashback or Leo's thoughts on the subject, it should be pretty easy to tell which is which. Except for the 'was' in the second line, that's just for emphasis.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my OC's Leo and his father Nicholai.

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Leo

Before I get started telling you what happens throughout my life, I think I should tell you what started all of this.

I've always been strange, even for a wizard. My parents are both purebloods of the ancient family Joannis, and I'm the heir. Well, I was the heir. See, back when my mother and 'father' were trying to have a child (a.k.a me), a vampire by the name of Nicholai Ellwood seduced my mother and left her pregnant, her memory wiped of the incident. And so, when I was born, they simply thought I was a normal pureblood boy.

Of course, when I turned seven years old I exhibited indisputable signs of being a half-blood vampire/wizard combo. When they found out what I was, they threw me out and disowned me. My real father was waiting for me; he had known this was coming. He took me into his secluded home on the other side of the country, and he's been teaching me ever since.

He taught me about the muggles that surrounded us magical folk, unlike my parents, who had simply tried to convince me to be prejudiced against them. They told me that muggleborns, half-bloods and blood traitors were all scum and that they didn't deserve to share the same planet as us, let alone the same rights. I had always sort of not understood this point of view, but I guess that deep down, I had known that I wasn't like them. After all, if I was a half-breed, wasn't I scum? Wasn't I exactly the same, or perhaps even worse than those with lower blood status than pureblood?

The year I turned eleven, I received a letter by way of owl, from Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry. My father and I were both thoroughly surprised, having not quite been sure of whether or not I had the magic gene, what with being half-vampire. It was evident that the Headmaster of Hogwarts didn't have a clue as to what I was, so my father set up a series of interviews with him. When we told him, to say he was shocked was a gross understatement. However, after a couple of one-on-one interviews, he agreed to let me into the school under a set of strict guidelines I had to follow, or otherwise I'd be kicked out. He seemed surprised at my maturity and amount of control, which was one of the main reasons he let me into the school, I think. Anyway, after Dumbledore accepted me into the school, my father decided that we should move house to somewhere closer to London, and that's how I ended up meeting Lily Evans.

It was a warm-ish day, but most other kids were huddled inside with their families, and it was also the morning after my father and I had moved in. The name of the city was Cokeworth, the sky was grey even with the sun streaming, most likely because of the smoke from the factories nearby. He didn't know I was out, not that he could do anything about it anyway, and I was exploring the new neighbourhood. I had eventually made my way to a park that was nearby, the only inhabitants of which being a young boy with long and greasy black hair, a hooked nose and pale skin, two girls, presumably sister what with the resemblance, one with a long face and perfectly straight blonde hair and blue eyes, the other girl with long wavy bright red hair and vibrant green eyes that sparkled with intelligence. Even from here I could tell that the boy and the red-headed girl were like me, magical I mean, not part-vampire. The girl was holding the bud of a flower in the palm of her hand when it suddenly started to bloom into a beautiful flower. The blonde girl scowled at her and slapped the flower from her hand and stormed off, the slightly shorter girl calling after her.

"Tuney! Tuney, come back!" The blonde girl didn't stop her storming, she didn't even look back. She also didn't seem to notice me as she passed, her eyes filled with disdain for her sister. I stood still for a second before moving silently to the rusted swing set close by, keeping my head down so as not to draw attention to myself. The grass hear didn't look completely healthy, most likely due to the fact that it was in the same area as the factories of Cokeworth, which was also the likely cause of the discolouration of the murky brow-grey river that guarded the right flank of the park.

"Lily-!" The boy exclaimed, sounding closer than he had been before. I heard footsteps moving towards me, and when they were a safe distance away, I lifted my head slightly to look at them. The red-headed girl, Lily presumably, paused for a second before continuing towards me, the dark boy trailing behind her, as if unsure and afraid.

"Hi, I'm Lily, and this is Severus. What's your name?" The girl introduced herself and the hook-nosed boy when they were only a few feet away, stopped now that they were close enough for me to reply.

"Hi...my name's Leo." I answered quietly; almost quiet enough for them to have to lean in to hear me.

"Hello." Severus muttered darkly, a hint of sarcasm in his tone. He obviously thought he was better than me. Was he a pureblood? He hadn't seemed surprised when Lily made that flower bloom earlier. He must think I'm a muggle! Even so, that's no reason to act like this.

"I'm sorry you had to see what happened earlier...with Tuney." Lily mumbled, obviously referring to her sister storming off.

"That's okay. Most muggles are afraid of what they don't understand, especially when it comes to magic." They were shocked, I could tell, their eyes wide, their mouths forming little 'o's and their eyebrows rising so high that they were almost buried in their hair.

"I-" Lily began, but she was cut off by a shout from the other side of the park by a voice I recognised as my fathers.

"Leonides Judas Joannis, didn't I tell you not to sneak out of the house?" I stood with a sheepish grin on my face, taking a few steps towards my father before turning around to face Lily and Severus, still walking backwards towards my father.

"See you tomorrow." I said, both of my hands in my pockets, before turning around to go to my father without so much as another glance back.

I had gotten a severe lecture from my father after that, but it was worth it. I snuck out day after day from then to meet with Lily and Severus in the park, and eventually, my father stopped trying to stop me, glad that I had found some friends. In fact, we became best friends. Well, Lily and I did. Severus and I were good friends, but we didn't always see eye to eye.

Oh, how stupid of me! I've just told you all of this and you have no idea what I look like! You're probably imagining me as some stupid brute or some whiny skinny boy who collects Quidditch cards! Well, let me catch you up. I have short blonde hair that sticks up and is usually slightly messy seeing as I rarely brush (I don't see the need!), very pale skin but not the sickly kind like my father has, I have bright electric blue eyes, and I don't like to boast, but I have a nice body. Not male-model nice or even Quidditch player nice, but more that I have a lean yet muscular build that suits my bone structure. Apparently, according to Lily anyway, I have a very innocent look about me (how?! I'm part vampire!), and she wants my eyelashes. Don't ask me what that means, I have no clue either!

Anyway, it's been almost three months since I got my Hogwarts letter, and just over two months since I had met Lily, and it was finally time for our trip to Diagon Alley to get everything we need for Hogwarts. It was only eleven days till we were to leave for school, but we had all decided to go on this date, for it was one of the days Dumbledore said he could be present, to lead Lily and her family around Diagon Alley, and to secretly keep an eye on me. Well, that's a story for another time. Most likely the next time we speak, but not now. I'm much, much too tired to tell you this all now.

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(A/N): Please review and/or check out my other stories!


	2. Diagon Alley and Sirius Problems

(A/N): Hey Guys! So, this is the second chapter of my story Into the Fire! Now, if Leo sounds like a bit of a Gary-stue, he really, really isn't, so please don't ell me he is. I can take criticism, but not if it's not true.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Leo, Nicholai and Quidditch Today.

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Leo

Eleven days before September first, and we were off to Diagon Alley today. Severus, Lily and her family (_excluding Petunia who was still at odds with her_), Dumbledore, my father and I were all crammed into the kitchen of my house, probably because it was the largest of Lily's and mine. Lily's parents were trying to strike up a conversation with my father but weren't having much luck, for it was one of his off days, where he would only talk to me. Then again, that's pretty much all of the time considering we lived int he middle of nowhere for nearly four years. I shook my head with a quiet chuckle as I watch Lily's father finally give up on trying to coax my father into talking to him, and Lily half-glared at me, a small yeat amused smile on her lips. From across the table, Dumbledore caught my eye, he had just finished explaining what was going to happen today to the Evans family, and was now trying to watch me without my noticing. Yeah right Dumbledore, I'm a freaking half vampire, not much gets past me!

"Dumbledore, I trust you're well?" I asked quietly, the first thing I had said other than hello since everyone had arrived almost and hour earlier. Lily and Severus glanced between me and Dumbledore, surprised and confused. This was the first time either of them had met Dumbledore, and I guess they thought it was mine too.

"As well as can be expected, young Leo." Now everyone except Dumbledore, my father and I seemed confused.

"You two have met?" Lily's mother asked curiously, one eyebrow raised, though her face still looked kindly.

"We met many times a month or two ago, to make sure Leo was allowed into the school." Everyone except for Dumbledore, my father and I now looked confused, suspicious, and a little worried.

"How so?" Lily's father asked, his tone tinted with suspicion and curiosity.

"My mother had a uh...rather rough background. Her family weren't exactly very nice people to grow up around, and so I had to have a series of meetings with dumbledore to make sure I wasn't of the same...roughness." Of course, I was lying, but my mother and her family did have a rather dark background, and I wasn't about to just blurt out the fact that the reason was that I was half-vampire and Dumbledore had to make sure I wasn't going to kill anyone at Hogwarts, now could I?

"Oh. How...exciting." Severus muttered darkly, his eyes fixed in a glare at some point on my legs. Clearly, he had been expecting something more...dangerous? Suspicious? You never really knew where you stood with Severus, but with Lily, she always made it rather obvious whether you had made it onto her good side or not, and if you weren't, she truly could make your life a living hell. Dumbledore glanced over at him, his blue eyes scanning him from over his half-moon glasses, and I could tell he already wasn't quite fond of Snape as he would make it seem.

"Yes, well, we should get going if we want to finish this before tea time, shouldn't we?" Dumbledore suggested, standing from the dining room chair he had been sitting in. The Evans' were taking us to Diagon Alley in their car, so we all exited my house before crossing to theirs and all climbed into their mini-van, which, coincidently, had the seven seats required to carry us all. It was an odd sight, Mr Evans driving and Mrs Evans in the passenger seat, considering it was their car and they were the only ones who actually knew how to drive, Dumbledore and my father in the two middle seats, and in the back row Severus was on the passenger side, Lily was in the middle, and I was on the drivers side, behind my father. In front of us I saw Dumbledore pull something from his robes and offer it to my father. Bertie Botts flavour beans, that's what he had offered him. My father shook his head politely, and upon hearing me chuckle, Dumbledore turned and offered the small box of beans to us three children. Severus and Lily looked at the bag nervously as if it was going to burst into flames or something, but I instantly plucked one of the beans from the mix. I popped the bean in my mouth and felt Lily and Severus watching me intently, to see if it was safe.

"Hmmm. Coffee Bean!" I murmured quietly, a small grin on my face, my eyes locking with Lily's. I knew that Coffee beans were one of her favorite smells, so I winked at her and she shook her head, giggling quietly before gingerly plucking a bean from the mix.

"Don't take that one, it's bile!" I exclaimed, and she moved the bean away from her mouth, very, very quickly.

"I doubt that! It's probably lemon." Severus said, taking the bean from Lily and popping in his his mouth before he retched and spat it back out into a tissue Dumbledore handed him.

"I told you so." I muttered, shaking my head. I picked another bean from the mix, inspecting it quickly before handing to Lily. "Cookies and cream ice cream." I explained when she looked at the bean suspiciously. She placed it in her mouth carefully before started to chew.

"Mmm! He's right!" I grinned, a full-blown one now, before looking back into the bag and plucking one out before handing it to Severus.

"Lime." I told him, and he slowly popped it into his mouth, not all that trustingly. Lily glanced at him and he nodded, showing that I was right.

"Well then, from now on, young Leo, you can safecheck all my beans! I don't want a repeat of the vomit flavoured one I ate last week, after all." Dumbledore informed me, and I smiled politely in response.

"Of course professor. I'm sure Sev will take up the same service after that bile flavored bean from earlier." Sev half-glared at me, he was obviously embarrassed at that experience.

Finally, we had parked the car outside somewhere call The Leaky Cauldron. Of course, from my meetings with Dumbledore and from what my 'parents' had told me, this was where you could enter Diagon Alley. We all exited the vehicle as quickly as possible for it was very cramped and smelt of ash, and rushed towards The Leaky Cauldron, which, apparently, muggles couldn't see, considering Dumbledore had to lead Lily's parents into the establishment. Once inside I moved closer to my father, just like he always told me to whenever we left the house, for our safety. As we entered, Dumbledore led us towards the back door of the establishment, and I noticed the dirty looks some people were giving my father. Glancing up at him, he seemed a little bit peeved, but that was only because I knew him so well. Anyone else would just think he was thinking about something intently. Dumbledore ushered us into a small area out the back of the Leaky Cauldron, and moved over to the brick wall across from us before tapping the bricks in a particular order. I memorized it, for later visits, as he did so, and marvelled as the walls started to roll back in on itself.

"Wow..." I heard Lily whisper breathlessly from behind me and I turned my head to grin at her.

"It is pretty great." I admitted, looking at Diagon Alley. I wasn't as impressed with it as she was, probably because I had been here once or twice with my mother before she found out, and because I was more used to the wonderful world of magic that now surrounded her. Perhaps it didn't surround her, perhaps it poured from her? Exuded from her skin? The magic was her very aura? Aw, I'm to young to be trying poetry yet!

"First, we will be heading to Madam Malkin's to get you fitted for your robes, it should take until we're finished for them to be ready, so it's best to get it over with." Dumbledore announced before starting in what was, apparently, the direction of Madam Malkin's. Less than a minute later, we entered an average-sized tailors shop, and a young witch bustled over to us.

"Three more Hogwarts students? Leaving it a bit late aren't you?" She asked rhetorically before pushing us towards an open space on the floor. We stood like starfish, arms and legs spread so the tape measures that were floating around taking measurements wouldn't hit us in the face like they had done at first before we relented to standing here like idiots. We were able to leave less than ten minutes later, having to wait until later for the uniforms to actually be made. In the meantime, we went shopping for everything else we would need for the school year. While Lily, Severus, Dumbledore and Lily's parents were in Flourish and Blotts looking for extra reading material, my father handed me some galleons and told me we were going to the Quidditch store next door while the others were browsing the books we already had in our rather large library back home.

After we crept out of Flourish and Blotts, we rushed to the next store and went inside, glancing back to check if the others had followed us. Lily didn't know, and Severus didn't like Quidditch, but my father and I were rather severe quidditch fanatics. In fact, just after I had moved in with him, he bought me a broomstick, and taught me how to ride it, and then to play quidditch, something my mother frowned upon.

"I here they got the new Quidditch Today edition today!" My father exclaimed enthusiastically, a small grin on his face, almost hidden as it was by his slight stubble of a moustache/beard. I grinned back at him before glancing behind me to make sure Lily and Severus hadn't come looking for us yet, and slammed into a boy my age, since apparently my father had rushed off to look for the new book and left me to avoid running into people by myself. Of course, since I had the balance of a twenty-five year old and the strength of one, I remained on my feet while the boy toppled over, his books scattering. I hurriedly dropped to my knees and scrambled to put all his books into a pile, gushing apologies the whole time.

"Don't worry about it." He said with a chuckle, joining me in piling the books. Hogwarts a History was there, so he was definitely going to Hogwarts too. With this in mind, I quickly scanned him, not really having been paying attention before now. He had long (_well, long for a boy of our age, but not compared to Severus_), black hair that hung in his deep, stormy grey eyes, swimming as they were in his lightly tanned skin. He was handsome, for a guy, especially of our age, but I was sure I had him beat in that department, however modest I may seem. I slid the pile of books towards him before rising to my feet, watching carefully as he did the same, the stack of books wobbling in his arms.

"Sorry about that. I'm Leo by the way." I apologised again before introducing myself out of pure politeness. After all, I did just knock him on his ass. Of course, I didn't hold out a hand for him to shake, seeing as that would be rude and seem like I was mocking him seeing as he had a rather large stack of book balancing in his arms.

"Sirius Black." He, however, didn't have the same concerns, seeing as in the next second, he shifted the weight of the books onto his other arm and raised his knee, resting the books on it while he extended his hand for me to shake. And shake it I did. That is, before dad came racing back with two copies of the newest Quidditch Today book in his arms, beaming brightly.

"Right son, ready to go? Oh, who's this?" He asked, finally noticing Sirius. Sirius Black, of the ancient family Black? This won't go over well, for either of us.

"Sirius Black, sir." Sirius said politely, something I knew, from just a minute of talking to him, was hard for him to do. Of course, the blood, if there was any left, drained from dads face and he forced a smile before moving to my side.

"Well then, Mr. Black, we must be going." he said, sounding stressed but still polite, grabbing my arm and starting to try and drag me away, which didn't really work seeing as I was willing to go. We reached Flourish and Blotts at the same time Lily, Severus, Dumbledore and Lily's parents exited, and they seemed annoyed that we had just rushed off without them, but quickly forgot it when they saw the look on my fathers face. Dumbledore shared a look with him pointedly before leading us to our next venue, Ollivander's wand shop.

Lily went first, receiving her wand after two or three tries, Willow, 10 1/4 in length, and Ollivander described it as 'swishy' and 'good for charms'. Severus was next, but I was distracted as he got his wand, seeing Sirius Black walking this way, a woman, persumably his mother, in tow. I turned my head back to the front as Severus moved so I could approach the counter, and just as I did so, I heard the bell above the door ring.

"I'll be with you in a moment." Ollivander said, looking up with a kind smile at Sirius and his mother before finally looking down at me, and then at my father, and back at me. "Ah, I wondered when I would see the heir of the Joannis family in here for his first wand!" I could feel Sirius' mothers eyes drill into the back of my head, the cogs working it over in her mind. I could also feel Sirius' eyes, for it was not doubt he knew who the Joannis' were. And Lily, i could see she was staring. She hadn't known I was the heir of anything, let alone anything anyone would know about.

"Well I guess we've kept you waiting far to long Ollivander." My father replied quietly, causing Sirius' mothers eyes to switch to him for a moment. Ollivander turned his head slightly to inspect him before smiling slightly.

"Nicholai Ellwood, Black walnut wood, dragon heartstring, 13 inches, suprisingly springy, am I correct?" My father smile widened, and I knew that Ollivander was most certainly correct.

"Correct as always, Ollivander. I guess you spoke the truth when you said you never forgot a wand you'd made." Ollivander tiredly at him before setting his eyes on me.

"And what's your name young man? Your full name, and that includes middle name, I'm curious to see if the line of odd middle names continued in your family." I blinked, wondering briefly how he knew that I was simply going to say 'Leo' and be done with it.

"Leonides Judas Joannis." I said quietly, though still plenty loud enough for him to hear, seeing as I didn't particularly feel in the need to repeat myself. He smiled at my grimace and reached behind him to grab a wand, pulling it closer to his face to inspect it.

"There, that wasn't so bad was it? Now, try this one." I gingerly accepted the light coloured wand from him and befor ehe could say anything, I gave it a small wave, and the flowerpot behidn them set on fire.

"Well then, that's not it." Ollivander said while trying to put out the flames, which apparently, were water proof.

"You may want to take a step back." I cautioned him, causing him to glance down at me form over the counter before taking a step back, just as the flower pot exploded. Ollivander blinked and shared a look with my father while everyone else was having a collective panic attack. Ollivander held up a finger before disappearing towards the back, accompanied only by the achoes of shuffling before he reappeared, carrying a small bow with the most beautiful wand I have ever seen sat in the middle. It was made of light red-brown wood, which contrasted beautifully with the designs carved into it's surface. As I marvelled at it's beauty, I could see Lily looking at it over my shoulder, her eyes wide and her mouth agape, and Severus, looking a little put out as he stood behind Lily's parents, his now dull looking wand hidden in his pocket.

"This, this is a cherry wood wand, twelve and a half inches in length, Phoenix feather core, slightly springy. Now, any wand with both the cherry wood and Phoenix feather core would be unnaturally powerful, but this wand, you see these carvings?" I nodded quickly as Sirius's mother was starting to tap her foot impatiently.

"Between them and the core runs channels of crystals, which hold a slight bit of power from each of your spells, which will make them less effective, which might be useful in this situation, and when you need it most, they will release the power they have collected along with the speel you're performing at the time. The reason I picked this particular wand was because of your display earlier," Cue the slight brush spreading over my cheeks. "and the fact that a weaker wand wood and core would only break under the pressure of your spells, which are quite powerful, I must say, for a wizard of your age." He shared a look with my father and I suddenly realised why it was so powerful. Why I needed this wand, and it was because of my vampire heritage. There had only ever been a handful of Vampire/wizard pairings over the years, and only two of them, including me, had ever probably been offered proper magical schooling. He offered the wand to me and watched hopefully as I flicked it - and nothing bad happened! In fact, my scalp seems to be tingling...

"Ah! We've found the right wand!" Ollivander exclaimed, beaming brightly before my father handed him the coins needed for the transaction.

We exited the shop as Sirius headed to the counter and he nodded to me, to which I replied in kind before we headed back to Madam Malkin's to pick up our school uniforms, having finished the rest of our shopping before going to Flourish and Blotts earlier. We hurried back through the leaky Cauldron and out onto the busy streets of London before piling into the slightly foul smelling minivan in the same order we had been in before, heading back home for the day.

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(A/N): Please review and/or check out my other stories!


	3. Hogwarts Express

(A/N): Hey Guys! So, this chapter was supposed to be called 'Hogwarts Express and an Encounter of the Jerk Kind' but it wouldn't fit. So this chapter is a little strange, but yeah.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Leo and his father Nicholai.

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Leo

September first had arrived, and today was the day that Lily, Severus and I would be journeying to Hogwarts. I knew i was probably going to miss my father, and that classes would be difficult and all that, but I just couldn't manage to get rid of the excitement bubbling inside of me, instead deciding to mask it with an expression of inquistitve interest. I realised that I was probably going to get used to travelling to Hogwarts, seeing as I would be doing it every year for the next seven years, so I might as well get all the excitement out now. Severus, Lily and her parents were going to meet my father and I at Kings Cross station at ten thirty, half an hour before the train leaves, and it was ten twenty-five now. We were approaching the station now, having walked here all the way from Cokeworth, seeing as we didn't get tired as easily as full humans.

A small smile slipped onto my lips as I saw Lily waiting for us at the barrier between platforms nine and ten, and it turned into a grin as she saw us and starting jogging over.

"I see you made it alright!" She joked as she reached us, her eyes resting on me after she gave my father a polite nod and smile.

"Well, I almost got ran over on the way here, but I think I'm still in one piece." I replied, starting to walk with her to the barrier, my father trailing behind us. "Morning Severus." I don't know why, but I have never called Severus 'sev' or any other name. It just doesn't feel...well, right.

"Leonides." He rarely calls me Leo as well, it's kind of a mutual understanding to use each others full names, probably mainly because of how much it annoys the other.

I glanced up at the clock before glancing at Lily who nodded slightly before turning to her parents and hugging them both tightly around the middle, and I saw tears threatening to spill from her mothers eyes.

"Oh my little girl, you grew up so fast." I heard her whisper in Lily's ear, and I felt Lily blush. Yes, I could feel people blush, it's a vampire thing. "I love you." I glanced away, at my father, who was staring at me. We had always been close, but more of a friendly way instead of a father-son way. I think that's because I didn't know him for the first seven years of my life. I shuffled closer to him and hugged him tightly around the waist quickly before moving away, as if it hadn't happened. His hand rested on my shoulder and he squeezed lightly before releasing. Severus just stood there, awkwardly waiting for Lily to finish saying her goodbyes. His mother wouldn't come, she didn't care that much, but it didn't really bother him. Sure, he wished he had what lily had, or even what I had, but he felt he was better off without her influence.

"I love you too dad." I heard Lily whisper before she released her father from her embrace and backed away. I looked at her and she nodded to me, so I started towards the barrier at a fast walk, quickly passing straight through it. A few seconds later, Lily joined me, and soon after that so did Severus. Lily and I stared at the Hogwarts express for a few seconds before glancing at each other and grinning. We pushed our trolley's to the side of the train before loading our trunks into the undercarriage. Lily had a cream, knitted bag with her school uniform in it, Severus had tucked his robes into a pocket in his oversized coat and I was carrying a navy blue messenger bag over my shoulder, which held my robes inside, and the cage of my pure black cat, Vex.

"Hellooo Vex-y." Lily cooed, sticking a finger through the cages bars to scratch the lazy cat under his chin, too which he started to purr.

"Oh, yeah, he let's you touch him without getting cut up." I said bitterly before lifting my hand for her to see the various thin scratches that covered the skin there.

"Ouch." Lily said comfortingly, but I glared at her, hearing the laughter she was trying to conceal.

"One day you'll have a pet that hates you, and I'll laugh at you then." I muttered, looking away down the train as we tried to find a compartment.

"This one looks okay." Lily said quietly, and Severus and I turned to look into the compartment we were next to, seeing two boys, one with unruly black hair, hazel eyes and glasses, the other the boy that I had ran into in the Quidditch store. Just as I was about to pull Lily away and to try and avoid this boy- after all, I'd knocked him over and he'd probably tal about it- she pulled the door open.

"Can we sit here?" She asked quietly as the boys looked up at us, and the boy I had knocked over- Sirius I think he'd said his name was- glanced at the other boy before nodding. Of course, as soon as Lily moved, he caught sight of me and smiled slightly at me, which I returned, really more of a grimace. Severus entered after us and sat down furthest from the door and I sat closest to the door, a natural habit, to make for a quick escape, making Lily sit between us, which was probably a good idea.

"You'd better be in Slytherin." Severus told Lily, glancing over her shoulder at me for a second before returning his gaze to her.

"Slytherin?" Lily asked sceptically, one eyebrow raised.

"Slytherin?" The boy, not Sirius, asked, almost as if disgusted. "Who'd want to be in Slytherin? I think I'd leave, wouldn't you?" The boy asked the room, though mostly Sirius. He's a Black though! Their basically the defintion of Slytherin!

"My whole family has been in Slytherin." The other boy soon realised his mistake and tried to laugh it off.

"Blimey, and I thought you seemed alright!" Sirius smiled, almost sadly.

"Maybe I'll break the tradition. Where are you going, if you've got the choice?" Sirius asked the other boy, whose glasses were trying to slip off his nose.

"Gryffindor, where the brave dwell at heart. Like my dad!" I smiled slightly as he said this, holding his hand in the air as if holding an invisible sword, and Severus scoffed quietly, casuing the boy to turn to him.

"Got a problem with that?" The boy said, glaring him down.

"No. Unless you'd rather be brawny than brainy." Severus said with a smirk, only to have it wiped off his face not seconds later by Sirius.

"Where are you hoping to go, seeing as you're neither?" Both Lily and Snape glared at him while I tried to hold back a laugh, and I saw the two boys glance at me before smiling slightly in approval. I stood and grabbed Lily and Severus' arms as they sat there, enraged, before pulling them up.

"Come on Lily, Severus, let's go find another compartment." I said quietly, trying to stop the fight that was almost inevitable. I raised an eyebrow at Sirius, questioning his actions before I dragged Lily and Severus out of the compartment with ease.

"What are you doing?" Severus growled, outraged, as I continued dragging them down the hall, trying to pull his arm out of my grip.

"Preventing a fight." I said simply, and Lily stopped struggling in my hand, resigning to fuming in silence.

"But really, who do they think they are?" So much for silence.

"Well, the long haired one is Sirius Black, no clue who the other one is." Lily and Severus tried to stop suddenly, but I kept dragging them.

"How do you know that?" they both asked at the same time, causing me to roll my eyes. God, I hat eit when they team up on me.

"I ran into him at a store in Diagon Alley. Literally." Severus smirked and Lily sniggered, probably picturing it in her head.

"Serves him right." I rolled my eyes but kept silent, trying to keep the peace still as I pulled open a compartment door as the train started to move, pushing them inside before sitting down next to Lily, Severus sitting across from us. We were close to the end of the train, so no one would be likely to bother us. I lifted Vex's cage onto the overhead luggage carrier and left my messenger bag between me and the wall before scooting slightly closer to Lily before squeezing her hand lightly and quickly before pulling away. We were best friends, and it was my duty- no, my honour, to comfort when she's angry or sad. And right now, I'm pretty sure she was both. I wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her close and resting her head on mine, hearing her sniffle almost silently.

"What if all the kids here are like them?" Lily asked quietly, so that only I could hear, and I smiled slightly.

"They won't be." I said confidently, and she scoffed.

"How can you be so sure of youself?" I thought about it for a second before shrugging.

"Well, it's not a guy thing, nor a magic thing, so it must just be a me thing. Man, I guess that's another reason I'm weird." Lily giggled quietly, and I could feel Severus' eyes boring into the side of my head. She wrapped her arms around my waist, and slowly but surely fell asleep.

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(A/N): Please review or check out my other stories. **ATTENTION**: Leo does not like Lily, and Lily does not like Leo. They're just really close, best friends. Ignore anything that makes you think it's romantic in anyway.


	4. Sorting and Lily's Impressive Right Hook

(A/N): Hey Guys! So, this chapter three (four if you count the prologue), and yeah its uh, very strange and random. Leo is a rather strange character to write, so he comes across as quite...eccentric. Also there's a lot of ...'s in this chapter, and it is a rather long chapter. This chapter actually has a page break, which you can probably see from here, because it's a change in time and I didn't just want to leave it blank. I made September 1st 1971 a Saturday, because I wrote this on a Saturday, and I have no idea what day it actually was.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Leo and his father Nicholai, oh, and Blake Anders.

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Leo

Neither Severus or I had spoken a word since Lily had fallen asleep in my arms, him reading a Potions book and I reading a set of different books about Hogwarts and it's subjects. The compartment door slid open and a woman with a trolley full of sweets stood in the opening. She asked Severus if he wanted anything and he shook his head silently, before she turned to Lily and I. She smiled softly before asking me the same question quietly.

"A packet of Bertie Botts please?" I asked politely, causing her to raise an eyebrow. Were people not polite anymore? She handed me the box of beans as I scooped the coins from my pocket. She glanced at Lily and smiled tenderly shaking her head.

"Some people just weren't supposed to get up early on Saturdays." She said, making me grin as she exited the compartment.

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I should probably wake Lily up, we're almost to Hogwarts and she hasn't changed into her robes yet. Nearly an hour ago I had shifted her slowly so that we weren't sitting upright, but I was leaning up against the wall closest to the door, Lily's arms were still wrapped around my waist, but her head was resting in my lap, the rest of her body curled around my legs, like Vex did when he occasionally fell asleep in a good mood. I shook her shoulder and she groaned, tightening her grip on my waist, causing me to roll my eyes.

"Lily, wake your ass up!" I yelled quietly into her ear before sprining back as her head shot up, her hand rubbing her ear.

"Owww! Why did you have to do that?" I smirked before lifting a hand to her chin.

"One, you were drooling all over my lap," She glanced down at where her arms were still wrapped around my waist before untangling them. "And two, you haven't changed and we're almost at Hogwarts." Across from us, Severus snorted in amusement, not taking his eyes away from his potions book. Lily's head snapped around to look out the window, and, finally noticing it had turned dark, jumped up, grabbing the robes from her bag and racing out, presumably to find a bathroom to change in. Severus and I spent the time that she was gone reading again, and when she returned, the train was slowing for it's final and only stop.

"Well, come on boys, we don't want to be late now do we?" Lily chirped, and I suddenly knew we shouldn't have let her sleep for so long. Now she's going to be strangely awake for the rest of the night. Oh well, it's a lucky thing I don't sleep much. What with being half-vampire, vampires being mainly nocturnal creatures, though they can still go into the sunlight if they must, I don't need to sleep nearly as much as humans, which can be a boon at times. I sighed, standing and following her out of the compartment, Severus trailing behind us. We had barely taken a few steps before I heard Severus cry out from behind me. Lily and I spun around to see Severus lying face-down on the floor, Sirius, Sirius' friend from earlier and two other boys, one with light brown-blonde hair and golden eyes, the other a small boy with dull blue eyes and a mousy appearance. The boy with the golden eyes was frowning, as if he diasapproved, and the boy with the blue eyes looked worried, but Sirius and his friend were simply laughing.

"Come on Severus." I said, my tone cold, but the coldness was directed towards Sirius and his friend as I helped Severus from the ground, holding Lily back with the other arm. Suddenly, Severus spun on them, pulling out his wand. Sirius and his friend stopped laughing and hesitated before pulling out their wands. I grabbed Severus arms and pulled them down to his side, rendering his wand useless against them seeing as it was now pointing at the ground. Just as I did so, a slightly aged woman with a stern face appeared in the doorway behind us, and upon seeing the wands drawn, stepped into the train and in between our two groups.

"What do you think you're doing?" She shouted, thrusting Sirius and his friends wands down with her hand.

"Well-" Sirius, Severus and the other boy started at the same time, only to be cut off by the stern woman.

"Someone who_ won't_ change the story? How about you?" She asked the boy with the golden eyes, seeing as he was the only person not occupied by holding people back, being enraged or currently trying not to wet themselves. "What are your names anyway?"

"Remus Lupin, mam. We, Peter Pettigrew," He gestured to the blue-eyed boy behind him who was almost shaking with fear. "Sirius Black," He pointed to Sirius. "And James Potter," He pointed to the last remaining boy, the one with the glasses. "Had just left our compartment when the others," He gestured to us, obviously not knowing our names. "Left theirs, and James thought it would be a good idea to trip...Severus? Over." He seemed questioning of Severus' name, probably hearing it from when I had said it earlier. "They did so, and when he," He pointed to me. "Helped him up, Severus pulled his wand on James and Sirius, and he," He motioned to me again. "Started holding him back so he wouldn't attack James and Sirius, who had by this time gotten their wands out. And that's what happened." She raised an eyebrow before turning to me, seeing as I was the only one not incapacitated by fear or rage.

"What say you? Is his story true? Also, what the _bloody hell_ are your names?" A small smile found it's way onto my lips as she swore, but it soon disappeared.

"I'm Leo, this is Severus Snape, and Lily Evans." I nodded my head to Severus first, and then to Lily to emphasize. "That's exactly what happened." The woman raised an eyebrow at me slightly, as if curious, before she scanned me. Of course, Dumbledore had to tell his second in command, so this must be professor...Mcgoggles? Mcgonall? Mcgona...gall! Mcgonagall. So, professor Mcgonagall knows about my...heritage. I raised an eyebrow back, which would have just seemed inquisitve to someone looking on, but she and I both knew it had a challenging edge. She smiled slightly before spinning on her heel to face both groups.

"Mr Snape, Mr Potter and Mr Black, you will see me after the feast for your punishment, the rest of you are free to go." Severus started to protest but I covered his mouth with my hand and rushed off to catch up to the others, still dragging him and making sure Lily didn't turn around and start killing Sirius and James. As the others passed us, James spoke up.

"See you around, Snivellus." Severus turned around to glare at them, but I still had him in my grip, unfortunately, Lily was able to wrom her way out of my other arm and smacked James straight in the nose- with her fist. I heard a crunch, and I was pretty sure she had broken his nose, what with the blood that started to pour out of it as he fell to the ground. Mcgonagall spun around, her eyes first setting on James bloody and broken nose, with Lily standing over him in rage, before darting to me. I wasn't breathing. I didn't have to breathe as often as regular humans, but I still needed to breathe so I wouldn't be able to keep this up for long, and I could feel his blood.

"Mrs Evans, you will also see me after the feast, Leo, get those two out of here while I deal with these three." I nodded, my breath was almost gone, so I grabbed Lily and Severus' arms and dragged them away towards the castle at a fast pace. My lungs were burning, but I kept my breath for a second longer before releasing it in a gush, trying to make it sound like a gasp at the sight of the man towering before us as I drew in new breath.

"Are you the last three?" I shook my head as Lily muttered, 'The last three that matter.'

"There's four more on their way, they got in trouble with professor Mcgonagall." The man shook his head in disapproval, clucking his tongue.

"Already? It get's worse by the year. Well, let's get you into a boat." He directed us over to one of the last two remaining boats and we climbed in carefully, trying not to fall into the water. Sirius, Remus, James and Peter arrived just as we had settled into our boat, and climbed into the last boat by themselves, Hagrid in his boat, waved the boats forward and they lurched into movement towards the Castle. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Sirius scoop some water into his hand from the lake and quickly twisted around to hit James in the face with it, and I only barely managed to restrain a grin.

We arrived in the boathouse of Hogwarts and we all carefully climbed out of our boats, making our way safely to the Great hall where, surprisingly, Mcgonagall was waiting. We all climbed the stairs until we were directly in front of her, and she stared us down.

"When you walk through those doors, you will be sorted into one of the four houses. Thoses houses will be like a home for you. Any good behaviour gets you points, any misbehaving," She glared at Sirius and James. "And you will lose points. The four houses are Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, Gryffindor and Slytherin, and each have different traits that will lead you to be put in them. Good luck." She told us before turning on her heel and pushing the tall doors open to admit us into the magnificent hall in front of us, in which there were five tables, at the far end was a table for the teachers, the table on the far left was Slytherin, the one next to it Ravenclaw.

On the other side of the aisle was the Gryffindor table, and on the far right was the Hufflepuff table. I met Dumbledore's eyes from where he sat in the middle of the High table, his blue eyes scanning the crowd from over his half-moon glasses. We advanced down the aisle behind Mcgonagall, and when she had almost reached the High table she turned on her heel to come to a stop next to a wooden stall upong which a scroll and an old hat, the Sorting hat, sat.

"When I call your name, come up to the front and sit on the stool to be sorted." She said before lifting the hat from the stool and unfurling the scroll before reading out the first name on there.

"Blake Anders?" A small, pale boy with glasses that almost covered his dark brown eyes, his golden-brown hair hanging down in front of them, hesitated before walking up to the stool and taking a seat. A few seconds later, the hat delivered its verdict.

"Ravenclaw!" The small boy grinned and took the hat off, handing it back to Mcgonagall before rushing over to the Ravenclaw table.

"Black, Sirius?" Sirius pushed through the crowd and sat on the stool, trying to look confident, but I could see that he was nervous. Very nervous. The hat considered it for barely a second before shouting its verdict.

"Gryffindor!" For a few seconds, the crowd was deadly silent before James, Remus, Peter, and I (what? I can't be nice?), started to clap, and the rest of the crowd soon joined in, except for the Slytherin's. A few names later, the next familiar name was called.

"Evans, Lily?" Lily swallowed before heading up to sit daintily on the stool, Mcgonagall resting the hat on her head, but I think we both knew what house she would be in, with her impressive right hook and her not being adverse to using it, and it wasn't Slytherin.

"Gryffindor!" Many more names were called out, none I recognised, before mine.

"Joannis, Leonides?" The crowd went silent, they knew the Joannis' were a powerful and merciless pureblood family, much like the Blacks were, so they were curious and a little bit worried, I'm sure. I stepped through the crowd easily and climbed the two small steps to sit on the stool, but not before meeting Mcgonagall's eyes. She set the hat on my head, and I was immediately greeted by a voice inside my head.

_Ah, a half-vampire! I haven't seen one of your kind here in a while, and only once before now at that! Let's take a look at you though. Hmm, your smart, very smart, and curious for knowledge...your extremely loyal, your not afraid to do what you must and your really very brave, your cautious, but if something annoys you enough it's not hard to get you angry...perhaps...yes._

"_Gryffindor!_" The hat shouted, both out loud and in my head, and Mcgonagall lifted it off, allowing me to stand and make my way to the Gryffindor table and sit down next to Lily. Only a few people more before another familiar name was called up.

"Lupin, Remus?" I could see Remus swallow deeply, even from here, before starting towards the stool. Mcgonagall placed the hat on his head, and a few seconds later, he was sorted into Gryffindor. A few people later, maybe three, Peter was called up, and the poor boy was shaking like a leaf in the middle of a thunderstorm. Dammit, I really do have to stop with the analogies! He hesitantly climbed the steps and sat on the stool as if it were going to bite him, jolting as the hat was dropped onto his head. It took perhaps a full minute before the hat delivered its verdict, and it wasn't one anyone expected to hear.

"Gryffindor!" _He's a Gryffindor? But he was literally shaking at the fact he had to stand in front of a crowd! Ah, Leo, don't judge a book by it's cover. Okay, more analogies, and referring to myself in third person now? Nice, very nice_. I thought dryly before James' name was called up next.

"Potter, James?" James jogged up the stairs and sat on the stool confidently, letting Mcgonagall place the hat on his unruly jet black hair.

"Gryffindor!" The hat cried, almost instantly, and James jumped off the stool and was halfway towards the Gryffindor table before he realised he still had the Sorting hat on. Perhaps seven people later Severus was called up.

"Snape, Severus?" Snape blinked silently before making his way up to Mcgonagall and letting her put the hat on his head, and less than ten seconds later it had the verdict almost all of us knew it would.

"Slytherin!" Lily looked like she knew it would happen, but still sad, so I squeezed her hand under the table comfortingly before turning to watch as the remaining group of students were sorted and after that digging into the feast that appeared before us on golden plates and platters.

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(A/N): Please review or check out my other stories!


	5. An Altercation and Elaine

(A/N): Hey Guys! Guess what? **_I GOT MY MICROSOFT WORD_ BACK!** Ahem, now that that's over, here's the next chapter. I'm trying to update this story two days apart from each other, and I've only uploaded two chapters so far and this is the fifth chapter I've written if you include the prologue!

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Leo, Elaine and Nicholai.

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Leo

Last night, Lily and I had stayed up until well after every other Gryffindor went to sleep, tired out from the feast. Lily had slept for most of the train ride here, and I didn't really need the sleep. We went to bed around one am, and crept upstairs to our separate dorms, only for me to find out that I was sharing a dorm with James Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew. They were all asleep, so I slunk silently to my bed, the furthest from the door and closest to the window. I chuckled quietly. Of course they had left me near the window, because in the morning, I woke to the sun shining onto my face, waking me up at six am.

Of course, I was fine with this, and went down to the Great hall for breakfast after getting dressed. I sat silently at the Gryffindor table for another forty-five minutes, eating my breakfast and reading the book I had brought with me before only the third or fourth person to arrive plonked down onto the bench beside me. I paused in my reading and slowly lifted my eyes to see a girl with long, pin straight dark brown hair, the long fringe of which was dyed red, dark brown eyes, pale skin and a small gap between her two front teeth. She beamed at me before spinning in her seat so she was no longer facing me, but the plate next to mine, piling it up with food.

"It's good to see another early riser!" She chirped, and I smiled slightly.

"It's a good morning to be up." I replied quietly, looking out of the large windows across the school grounds where the sun was rising over the horizon. She grinned at me again before popping a forkful of her maple syrup coated pancakes into her mouth, chewing for a minute before swallowing.

"I'm Ghislaine, but call me that and I'll kill you. I much prefer Elaine." I raised an eyebrow as she glared at me warningly before sticking my hand out for her to shake, which she did cautiously.

"I'm Leonides, call me that and well...it won't be pretty. Leo is much better, in my opinion." I released her hand with a small smile before taking a sip from my goblet of pumpkin juice in front of me. She smirked, shaking her head lightly.

"What kind of person names their kid Leonides?" She asked quietly, she obviously thought I couldn't hear her.

"The same kind of person who names their child Ghislaine." I muttered, a small smile hanging mockingly on my lips as her head snapped around, staring at me.

"How-?" Elaine was cut off as Lily sat down on my other side, grabbing a piece of toast from the overflowing platter in front of her.

"Morning." She grumbled, dark circles starting to form under her bright citrus green eyes.

"Morning dear, sleep well?" I teased, shaking my head as if ashamed after she stuck out her tongue out at me. "Oh come on Lillian, don't be so childish." I chastised quietly before she hot me a look that clearly said she was not in the mood for games.

"Yeah Evans, don't be childish." James Potter teased as he sat opposite us, piling food onto his plate. "Besides, shouldn't you be hanging out with your reptile friend?" He added, pointing to Severus as he entered the hall.

"Excuse me Leo, but I think I'm going to move away from this moron." I grinned as the smirk dropped from Potter's face, and Sirius sat down next to him, looking severely tired, almost as tired as Lily had.

"How are you so awake looking anyway? We both went to sleep at the same time!" Lily exclaimed angrily at me and I smiled innocently before examining my fingernails.

"I guess it's just another of my natural talents Lils." I told her proudly and I could hear Elaine trying to restrain her laughter. Lily smiled slightly, the anger starting to disappear from her face before Potter flung a piece of bacon at her. She turned to glare at him before storming off in a huff.

"What's her problem?" James asked, as if totally innocent, and I rolled my eyes.

"You're her problem you nitwit." I growled under my breath, not taking my eyes away from the page in front of me until the book was yanked out of my hands.

"Whatcha readin'?" Sirius asked as he tried to examine the book, even though it was now upside down.

"The book we need for our Defence Against the Dark Arts class, now give it back." He pulled it back as I reached for it so I moved to sit down again, and when he relaxed I grabbed it from his hands.

"Sirius, don't steal other peoples books." Remus said as he sat down in the seat Lily had occupied before she left, filling his plate with all different types of food.

"Of course you'd say that, you spent half the night with your nose stuck in a dusty old book." These boys, who have only known each other since they met on the train, are acting like they've been best friends for years, and I haven't even managed to keep Lily company! I stood, drawing the attention of those surrounding me.

"Where are you going?" James asked, staring at me curiously.

"To go make sure Lily's alright." I raised an eyebrow at him accusingly before snapping the book in my hand shut and starting towards were Lily sat further down the table. Only a few steps later, I realised that Elaine was following me silently, and I smiled. At least she won't be polluted by their immaturity now.

"Hey Li-li, ignore him. Just because he's got rocks for brains doesn't give him the right to act like that." I told her as I sat down next to her, and she lifted her head with angry eyes before smiling at me gently.

"I know, it's just...he's so...aggravating!" She ground out, glaring at the food on her plate as she stabbed it with her fork. _Fifty buck bet they end up dating. _I thought before shaking my head slightly. _Stupid muggle references taking over my head!_ I shared a look with Elaine and I could tell that she was thinking exactly the same thing.

"I know, but just forget about him for now. Perhaps after breakfast we can visit Severus?" This thought brightened her a little, and she nodded before glancing at Elaine.

"I'm Lily, who the hell are you?" Elaine grinned at her before sitting down on my other side.

"I'm Elaine. " She replied, pouring herself a goblet of pumpkin juice. "And I hope we're going to get along, apparently your right hook is rather impressive."

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(A/N): Elaine's name is pronounce giz-lane. not jizz-lane or anything like that, giz-lane. Please review or check out my other stories!


	6. Breakfast and Breaking Bones

(A/N): Hey Guys! So, this is the next chapter. I do have plans for Elaine (well, about as many plans as I do for Leo), so she's not just randomly stuck in there, okay? Also, I would like to thank my reviewer, sand paper button. Thanks for the tips, and I hope this chapter please you!

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Leo, Elaine and Nicholai.

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Lily

It was nine a.m, the time classes would usually start, but fortunately for me it was a Sunday. Instead, Leo, Elaine and I had decided to explore the castle, seeing as we didn't really have anything else to do, and it might become useful to know later on. I had only met Elaine two hours earlier, but she seemed perfectly nice, and we both had a lot in common. We had wanted to visit Sev after breakfast, but he had left before us, without our noticing, and we had no clue where the Slytherin common room was, other than the fact it was in the dungeons, and we were almost sure that was where he would be.

"We can always visit him later." Leo said reassuringly, and I smiled slightly, not completely convinced. "It's not like we live in different countries Lil, just different houses. We'll see him all the time." I thought about it for a second before beaming at him.

"I guess you're right! How do you know the right things to say?" We shared a look before bursting out laughing, and saying his favourite line whenever anyone asked him how he knew how to do something.

"I guess it's just one of my talents!" We chorused at the same time, still giggling, Elaine looking at us like we were both crazy.

"So how long have you two been friends?" She asked curiously, eyeing us as if worried for her sanity.

"A few months." Leo told her, and I frowned. Was it really that short? It felt like we'd known each other for years, we were that close! We were closer even than Sev and I, and that was saying something. The thing about Leo that makes him so easy to be friends with is the fact that he doesn't like to judge. He's very loyal, and even though he may seem quiet and shy, he's really, really not. He's actually crazy. As in put me in an institute crazy, we sometimes speculate that he escaped from a muggle loony bin when he was younger, using his magic.

"Really? You act like you've known each other since birth!" She said, shaking her head, mystified.

"Well, we have an _insane_ connection." I rolled my eyes at his attempt at humour before it turned into a glare as I saw the four boys, James Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew in front of us. Remus and Peter didn't seem bad, but Potter and Black had tripped over Sev as we were getting off the Hogwarts express, and had earned me a detention before we'd even reached the castle! Of course, I will admit that the particular incident that occurred to earn me a detention was partially my fault. I mean, I did break Potters' nose, but he _had_ deserved it.

"Oh, I can see that." Elaine muttered, rolling her eyes before looking off to the side.

"Idiots." I heard Leo mutter under his breath, making me glance at him before following his gaze to the boys in front of us who were now talking to a mischievous looking ghost.

"What ghost is that?" I asked curiously, knowing that while I hadn't been able to, Leo had already finished 'Hogwarts: A History'.

"Peeves. He likes to make trouble. If they ally themselves with him, we truly are doomed. Peeves is a poltergeist who particularly likes to torture the first years by playing pranks on them, and also the caretaker, Filch." I paused to stare at him for a second, wondering how he had learned all this from a book. He met my gaze and grinned at me widely.

"Dumbledore told me most of it." Elaine looked curious, but she shook her head slowly, not wanting to get involved in personal matters.

"Of course he did. Would you like to share some of the other things he told you with me someday?" I asked quietly, getting a little pissed that he hadn't told me before this.

"Perhaps." He muttered back, shrugging. I glared at his back as he sped up, leaving me struggling to catch up.

"Leo!" He knew I hated it when he walked too quickly for me to follow, and he was doing this on purpose. Elaine was struggling to keep up as well, and was starting to pant behind me, and a few seconds later I saw the reason behind his speeding up. A couple dozen feet ahead of us, Peeves, Black and Potter were crowded around Sev, Remus and Peter standing further back, and I could hear them trying to persuade them to leave him alone. Black raised his wand at Sev and cast a spell at him that made his legs start to wobble, and then Potter raised his wand.

"Do it Potter and I'll break a lot worse than your nose!" I snarled, and the five boys and Peeves spun around, startled, and upon seeing my furious expression, Sev rushed over to our side, the other four boys standing exactly still.

"What is going on here?" Everyone spun around to face professor McGonagall, who looked more than a little angry that the students she had given detention the night before were once again making trouble, and that the student who had been keeping the peace, Leo, seemed to have given up.

"Sirius and James were hexing Severus, and Lily tried to stop them." Leo told her, before anyone else could, knowing that she would only believe Leo or Remus.

"Very well then, Mr Black, Mr Potter, you both have detentions." The two boys groaned and I smirked at them before she turned her stern gaze to me. "You too Miss Evans, I heard that threat of yours." The smirk dropped from my lips instantly and turned into a frown. "I suggest your two groups spend the day away from each other so you don't cause the school any more trouble than you already have." She raised an eyebrow before turning on her heel and stalking off. So, that's what we did. The boys group had decided they would spend the day inside, and our group decided to spend the day outside by the lake, seeing as it was a rather nice day, despite the cold.

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(A/N): Please review and/or check out my other stories!


	7. The UndeadEnglish

(A/N): Hey Guys! So this is the sixth chapter of this story, not including the prologue, and it explains a bit more about Leo's condition as I see it. Also, a bit of Elaine, Lily, Severus and the Marauders too!

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Leo, Elaine, Nicholai and Quiggly.

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Leo

During our meetings before the start of the school year, Dumbledore told me a lot about Hogwarts, the magical world, and my kind. As one of the rules for me to be allowed into the school, I wasn't to tell Lily anything about vampires, or any of the secrets of Hogwarts. In fact, the only reason Dumbledore had told me about the secret passageways and such was so I could get in and out of Hogwarts to feed and to avoid people when I needed to.

Even though I was only a half-vampire, I still needed to feed, though I could survive mainly on human food, I did have to consume some blood to stay alive. I can proudly say that I have never tasted human blood- at least, straight from a human that is. I mostly drink only animal blood, but every now and again I did have to drink some human blood to make me less tempted when it came to drinking human blood from the human. Getting out to hunt hadn't been a problem before now, my father and I had lived in a forest, with plenty of animals to hunt, until we had moved to Cokeworth, where we mainly survived on either raw steaks for the animal blood or duplicating packets of human blood, the kind they would usually have in hospitals.

Now, at Hogwarts, I would have to sneak out to the forest for my animal blood, and madam Pomfrey would be supplying me with a vial of human blood at the end of every week, as long as I went to the Hospital wing.

It was the morning of the first Monday of term, and our first day of lessons as well. I woke up early, as per usual, and got dressed before creeping past the boys in my dorm to meet Elaine at breakfast and wait for Lily to get up.

"Morning." I greeted Elaine as I dropped onto the seat next to her and she turned to glare at me slightly.

"Okay, I'm an early riser and even I don't get it. Lily's right, there is no way you can be this cheery in the morning, it's just impossible." I waited for a second after she finished before beaming at her and ruffling her hair with my hand.

"Suck it up princess, I guess I just naturally need less beauty sleep than you do." She rolled her eyes, returning to her breakfast before she dropped her fork, going deadly still before turning to look at me slowly, a deathly glint in her eye, and I wasn't even fazed.

"Did you just call me ugly?" She growled, and I shook my head.

"Nope, I just said I was prettier. Which, you have to agree, I am very pretty." She stared at me for a second as if I had three heads before bursting out laughing.

"You are very pretty, for a guy." She acknowledge, wiping tears of mirth from her cheeks.

"I know right? It's insane!" She raised an eyebrow before making a face that clearly said, 'You're insane.'

"Morning." Elaine said, greeting Lily as she plunked onto the seat next to me, receiving only a grunt in response.

"Good morning Lily-pie, lovely weather we're having, isn't it?" Lily lifted her head to look out the windows, through which you could see the stormy sky.

"There's nothing good about the morning and the weather is dreadful." She said simply, staring at me as if I were crazy. There's a lot of that going around this morning.

"Oh come one Lily, don't ruin the good mood!" I gestured at the people starting to shuffle into the hall.

"Ummm, they look like zombies." Lily said, glancing at the worn out looking people that mindlessly spooned food into their mouths and droned on about what lessons were going to be like.

"Lily, don't be mean! They prefer to be called undead-english!" I raised an eyebrow at Elaine's comment. _Yeah, so do I,_ I thought suddenly before turning back to my food.

* * *

Two hours later, the three of us, Lily, Elaine and I were standing outside our first lesson: Potions, with professor Slughorn. As the portly man ushered us into the dungeon classroom, I spotted the four boys, James, Sirius, Remus and Peter, near us, and Severus in front of us, so I pulled Lily an Elaine forwards, gently shoving Lily into the seat next to the one Severus had decided on and pulled Elaine into the chair next to mine at the table behind theirs. All three of them sent me inquisitive looks, which I easily pretended not to see, focusing my attention on Slughorn as he finally reached the front of the classroom.

"Today, students, I will be introducing you to the subject of potions. In our next lesson, which is a double, we will be creating our first potion, so I suggest you be on time, rather than risking missing out on the instructions." He raised an eyebrow at the four boys at the back, McGonagall had probably told him about the trouble they had caused since they arrived. He spent the rest of the lesson telling us about the subtle details of potion making, and I sat, listening the entire time, even taking notes, while the others, even Lily, seemed to tune out.

"That was the most boring thing I've ever sat through." Lily complained as we were walking towards our next lesson, and I smirked at her.

"Just wait, our next lessons History of Magic, and rumour has it the ghost that teaches it is the most boring being on earth." She rolled her eyes, not believing me, but after that lesson she walked out a little more happy, seeing as she had finally gotten her eight hours of sleep by napping through class, whereas I had been taking notes again.

"Um...can I borrow your notes? Binns said we had an assignment, but I have no idea what on." I rolled my eyes and shook my head.

"It was on how wizards influenced the Industrial Revolution. He wants twelve inches on the subject by our lesson on Thursday." I told her, embarrassed for her. At least Elaine managed to stay awake!

"Thanks." She whispered, knowing I was angry at her.

"You shouldn't sleep through your classes, no matter how boring they are." I reprimanded her, resisting the urge to waggle a finger in her face condescendingly.

"I'll try not to." I stared at her for a second before shaking my head.

"I'll meet you at the Great Hall, I need to go to the bathroom." She seemed sceptical, but nodded hesitantly. I sped off, in the direction of the bathrooms, but as soon as I was out of sight, I changed course for where I knew the kitchens were. I had been staring at her throat, the allure of her blood growing stronger. I hadn't fed in too long, I realised. I'll need to correct that in the future.

* * *

I managed to avoid contact with anyone else until I reached the kitchens, tickling the pear on a painting of fruit, causing the doorknob to appear. As I entered the kitchens, House elves were bustling about, and as soon as one caught sight of me they raced over.

"What can Guiggly do for you sir?" It asked quickly, staring up at me with it's big, doe-like eyes.

"Can I have a raw steak please?" Quiggly's eyebrows rose, or at least, where his eyebrows would be if he had any, and he stared at me for a second.

"Are you sure you want it raw sir?" I nodded an affirmative and he snapped his fingers, a plate with a large, raw steak on it appeared on the table in front of me, a knife and fork at its sides.

"Thank you, Quiggly. That'll be all, if you don't mind." I said stiffly, I had never been quite sure how to talk to house elves, seeing as the last time I had seen one it was my mothers, and we were supposed to be as cruel to it as possible. Quiggly nodded before speeding off to join the others of his species in preparing lunch, and starting to prepare dinner, by the looks of it.

"Looks appetizing." I said quietly to myself, looking down at the raw steak, blood starting to pool around it. "Well, better dig in; I don't want Lily to get suspicious." I muttered before starting to cut up and eat the bleeding steak in front of me.

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(A/N): Please review and/or check out my other stories!


	8. Disgusting Goo

(A/N): Hey Guys! So, this is the eight chapter, if you include the prologue, and it's back to Leo's point of view. Yay! I'm currently three chapters ahead of the uploading rate, so go me!

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Leo, Elaine, Nicholai, Quiggly and the spell in this chapter!

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Leo

After my trip to the kitchens, I had joined the others for lunch in the Great hall, and afterwards attended our Charms lesson with Professor Flitwick, and now it was time for the lesson I had been looking forward to all day: Defence Against the Dark Arts. Apparently, the post of DADA teacher was cursed, and that no teacher lasted more than a year, so I was kind of looking forward to seeing who we would be having for this year.

"I hope they actually know what they're talking about; my brother told me that the teacher they had last year refused to teach them about anything but Doxies." Elaine told Lily, and I winced as I saw the professor walking towards us. She wasn't in robes like the others, but instead wearing a pair of dark blue track pants and an old shirt that looked to be made of many other shirts sewn together. She was in her late forties to early fifties with dirty blond hair that was steadily turning grey and she had light blue-green eyes set in a kind yet stern looking face, though they were masked by a pair of ellipse shaped glasses.

"She doesn't look that bad!" Lily chastised, slapping me on the arm for wincing.

"That's not why I'm wincing. Think about, teachers are supposed to wear their robes everywhere right? The only reason she wouldn't is because she's planned a lesson that will leave us with almost permanent damage to our clothes." I waited for a second while Lily thought it over before she groaned quietly.

* * *

"I hate school..." She complained, not an hour later as she tried to pull the bright pink sludge from her school jumper.

"How are you clean?" Elaine squealed at me as she tried to pull a large chunk of the gloop from her hair, glaring at my clean physique.

"Because I used you as a human-shield, remember? And hid under that table when she wasn't looking?" Our teacher, Professor Swan, had taught us a fun hex, 'Foedis Offerre', which covered your opponent in the goo I had mentioned earlier, and set up a dodge ball-like game. I had hidden behind tables and even Lily and Elaine at times, because honestly, who wants to be covered in sticky goo for the rest of the day?

"What the-?" Lily cried as James Potter and Sirius Black ran past us, shooting Foedis Offerre at each other. _Well. I guess that shuts me up,_ I thought, smirking as Sirius managed to hit Potter in the eyes with the bright pink goo, and he smashed into a wall before bouncing off due to the large amount of goo acting as a shield between him and the wall.

"We should get out of here before they turn it on us. Come on, we'll go to the dorms to get you guys more clothes, I don't really fancy being seen with you if you look like that." I told them smugly, gesturing to their goo covered clothes, and they shared a look before grinning at me evilly.

"Oh crap." I muttered before turning on my heel and racing away, the girls not far behind, seeing as I was trying to run at a normal, human pace. Even being only half-vampire, I was faster than any human, but slower than any vampire. I was also stronger, a lot stronger. I raced around the corner and crashed into Remus and Peter, not having been looking where I was going. I glanced back around to see my two friends catching up, so I pulled Remus and Peter to their feet before racing off.

"I suggest you run!" I called back over my shoulder, and they looked confused for a second before Lily and Elaine came round the corner, and the two boys started running from them as well, Remus because his uniform was almost as clean as mine, and Peter because even though he was covered from head to toe in the stuff, apparently didn't want any more on him. As I turned the corner, way ahead of any of them, I spoke the password to a portrait that hid a secret passage to outside common room and climbed in, pulling the door shut behind me as quietly as I could. I heard Remus and Peter pass, and then Lily and Elaine, and I breathed a sigh of relief before following the passage to outside the common room.

"Godric's sword." I panted to the portrait of the Fat Lady, and she tsked at me before letting me in.

"Just don't let your friends get their mess on me." I grinned at her before slumping into one of the plush red armchairs facing the portrait.

* * *

A few minutes later, Remus and Peter raced in, panting and laughing breathily, and before the portrait could swing shut Lily and Elaine darted through. They were panting as well, and as they finally regained their breath, they lifted their head to see me lounging in my armchair, one eyebrow raised.

"How in the hell did you get here so fast?" Lily asked suspiciously, before Elaine spoke.

"Yeah, you just kind of disappeared." I gave her a small smile and stood up, walking over to them.

"I know the secrets of the castle, and everything within." I raised an eyebrow slightly at Remus and he instantly paled. "Therefore, I have ways of getting around that I must never tell you about. Or, it should at least wait until your birthdays." I joked before raising my wand at Lily, Elaine and Peter.

"Remus, will you help me with this?" He hesitated for a second before moving to my side, and pointing his wands at them as well.

"Aguamenti!" I exclaimed at the same time as Remus yelled, "Scourgify!" With my spell, water shot from the tip of my wand, and hit the pink goo, making it loosen, and Remus' spell hit them, and the goo disappeared in a flourish of bubbles.

"See? All clean." Remus shot me a look, and I raised an eyebrow, trying to look haughty, though i knew I probably looked like I had smelt something horrible, Which, I guess, is what being haughty looks like.

"I'll need that one for when Sirius and James finally decide to stop coating themselves in goo. And stop using that spell." I grinned at his joke and looked to Lily and Elaine.

"Well, at least you don't have to get changed now." Lily and Elaine burst out laughing, only to stop as Sirius and James entered the common room, covered completely in a foot thick wall of bright pink, sticky goo. Remus and I shared a look before raising our wands again.

* * *

(A/N): So, yes, Leo knows that Remus is a werewolf, and I will explain how he knows in the next chapter. Also, Foedis offerre in latin literally means 'Disgusting goo' which is why I named this chapter so. Please review and/or check out my other stories!


	9. Watching Leo Sleep and Kidnap

(A/N): Hey Guys! So uh, I had way more fun writing this chapter than I should, and I can't wait to actually upload it to the story so you can actually read this! That's right, I wrote this about...five days ago now? I think so. Anyway, I hope you find this chapter as hilarious as I did, because honestly, I'm probably still cracking up over this. Thank you to my only reviewer so far, Sand Paper Button, who has kindly given me the feedback that I need to get this story up and running!

Disclaimer: I own nothing other than Leo, Nicholai, Quiggly and Elaine, who actually has a Point of View in this chapter!

* * *

Leo

A week had passed since we had arrived at Hogwarts, and I had been studiously avoiding the four boys I shared a dorm with, James, Sirius, Remus and Peter. I'd been going to bed later than everyone else, around two in the morning, seeing as they usually staid up way past an advisable time, and had been heading to breakfast at six a.m, seeing as they all seemed to be allergic to waking up early, especially Sirius. I found that I rather enjoyed spending time with Remus, even though our species were supposed to be sworn enemies. See, Remus Lupin was a werewolf. How did I know? I could _smell_ it on him. Remember me saying I had heightened senses? In some cases, especially with smell, this was quite unfortunate. But, however, I was able to learn important details about a person by simply taking a whiff at them as they passed, things they might not want others to know, like Remus' 'furry little problem', as I had taken to calling it. Unfortunately, avoiding my dorm mates was not as simple today, seeing as I woke up later than usual this morning, at seven, and found them watching me, half-asleep.

"Could you be any more creepy?" I asked quietly, and they all jolted from their relaxed positions around my bed.

"Well, now that you mention it, Peter suggested we should steal your tighty-whities, but we decided against it." Sirius joked, and Peter turned bright red and squeaked, trying to deny it.

"No I didn't!" He squealed, glaring at Sirius in an almost convincing way.

"You wouldn't have been able to anyway, I wear boxers not briefs." I muttered, half-asleep before pushing the covers of my bed back, revealing my half-naked self, clad only in a pair of scarlet and gold striped boxers.

"Gryffindor colours." James said amusedly as I went to grab my shirt, probably thinking I wouldn't hear him.

"Glad you like." I joked, grinning and winking at him suggestively before rolling my eyes.

"You slept later than usual this morning." Remus said quietly, and the other boys turned to stare at him.

"You mean he's usually up earlier than this? How? I think I'm dying, and he always goes to sleep later than us!" Sirius complained, trying to rub the sleep out of his eyes as it was.

"Six a.m every morning, two o clock every night. If I didn't know better, I'd say you're trying to avoid us." Remus said, suspicious, as I pulled my shirt on, buttoning it up.

"I have been." I admitted, still not looking at them, instead hunting through my trunk to find my school pants.

"Why?" James asked, and I could almost hear him pouting. In fact, maybe that's how I knew.

"Because Lily doesn't like you, and therefore I have to at least pretend like I hate you so she doesn't kill me in my sleep. Personally, I find you amusing, other than the things you do to Severus." Sirius blinked, surprised, before opening his mouth to speak.

"Lily's the only one to call him anything other than Severus, even you don't shorten it. Why is that?" The other boys paused for a second before nodding, suddenly curious as to why this was.

"Severus only lets his friends call him anything other than so, and he and I call each other by our full first names, simply because it gets under the others skins." I told them, pulling my tie over my head as I finally got my pants done up. "Besides, Lily and Severus have known each other longer than I've known either of them, so why should I call him anything other than his full name?" I knotted my tie and looked into the small mirror on my bedside cabinet to check that my hair wasn't _too_ messy before sitting down on the bed to pull my shoes and socks on.

"How long have you known Lily then? I've heard you call _her _all kinds of different nicknames, plus you're crazy close." Peter asked quietly, and I turned to him slightly surprised.

"A few months, give or take." I said before grinning at the word 'crazy' in reference to Lily and I. "And thanks for the compliment." They all looked confused, so I chuckled at them as I started to head for the door.

"What compliment?" Peter asked, majorly confused as they stood up, about to follow me.

"You called me crazy. Stating what someone is can be seen as a compliment if they like what they hear." They still looked confused, other than Remus who laughed.

"Well, it's hard for someone not to call you crazy with the way you act." The other boys stared at him, utterly and completely confused out of their minds.

"Him? Crazy? More like nerdy." Sirius said, and I grinned at him.

"Only on the surface, and things are never as they seem. By the way, I wouldn't go back to bed any time soon, someone put a bowl of porridge under your covers." Sirius glared at James who simply shrugged.

"Wait, how did you know that?" James asked, suddenly coming to attention.

"I have ways of knowing things." I said before glancing at Remus who smiled slightly. He knew I knew he was a werewolf, and that I was fine with it, but he had no clue how I found out or that I was what I was. "And now, to breakfast!" I announced, before Sirius and James grabbed my arm.

"Nope, you're coming with us today! We're officially kidnapping you." They exclaimed, grinning at me from both sides, and I saw Remus mouth 'sorry' when I looked at him. I'm sure I looked comically confused, and perhaps even slightly worried as they dragged me out of the dorm and through the common room where Lily and Elaine had obviously been waiting for me, seeing as they were sitting on a plush couch facing the boy's dormitory, and not down at the Great hall.

"Lily, Elaine, help, they're kidnapping me!" I yelped as they dragged me through, and Lily jumped up from the couch before Elaine grabbed her arm and pulled her back down before grinning at me.

"Nope, you're on your own buddy! That's for using me as a human-shield in DADA last week!" She called, waving the boys through. Of course, I could have stopped them, but I didn't want to cause a scene, and I wasn't really all that worried about the situation. I mean, it wasn't like they were going to kill me, now were they?

Elaine

I shook my head lightly, a grin still on my lips as James and Sirius, dragged Leo out of the portrait hole, closely followed by Remus and Peter. Lily, however, was still staring at them in disbelief, looking as if she wanted to chase them down and save her best friend from their evil grasps.

"Relax Lily, Leo's a big boy now, I'm sure he'll be fine." I said and she relaxed next to me on the couch slightly, before silently adding, _I hope. _

* * *

(A/N): Look guys, it's Elaine! I like writing from her PoV, I really, really do, so you should probably be on the look out for more chapter from her point of view. Please review and/or check out my other stories.


	10. Blackmail

(A/N): Hey Guys! This chapters shorter than the others, and it's a little late, but I haven't been on my computer in three days and I've been having trouble writing this. My muse is still in a coma from overuse, seeing as over the past three days I've written 34 1/2 pages of info for my book series. Also, schools being difficult. My Drama teacher says that I have 'acting talent' though I really, really, _really_ don't, Maths is being a bitch as per usual, I don't have P.E anymore so I have to sit through Home Ec, English is getting better because we got a new teacher who actually likes the English language, Humanities sucks because our teacher never explains anything. Oh, and in Metalwork the other day, I used a gas welder! How exciting is that? Apparently, I did it perfectly, my two best friends did it well, and the other guy we were in the group with turned on the acetylene on too much and nearly burnt down the whole school.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Leo, Elaine, Nicholai and Quiggly.

* * *

Leo

The boys dragged me through the deserted corridors of Hogwarts before we finally 'arrived' at a far off corridor on the fourth floor where two chairs sat, looking extremely out of place.

"Now," James said, before pushing me into the chair furthest from the way we came and spinning the other chair around so he was sitting on it backwards as Sirius shone his wand light in my eyes, making me blink once before getting used to the sudden bright light, a lot quicker than a human could.

"We overheard you telling Evans and Folley that Dumbledore told you a lot about Hogwarts and its secrets. This is officially an interrogation to get _you_ to tell _us_ those secrets." I almost straight out laughed in his face, but instead just let a small smirk slip onto my face.

"And how do you propose to do that?" The boys all froze and looked at James, who just stared at me before shrugging and rubbing the back of his neck.

"We were kind of hoping you'd just tell us." He admitted, causing Sirius and Remus to groan.

"Why didn't we make sure he had a better plan than this?" Sirius asked Remus who shrugged, looking dumbstruck.

"Well then, I guess we won't have much to worry about if you turn to the dark side, now will we?" I said cheerfully before starting to stand up, only to be pushed back into my chair by Sirius.

"Oh come on, tell us!" He pleaded, dropping to his knees in front of me, causing me to raise an eyebrow.

"Now, if I did that, then you'd know, and that wouldn't benefit me, not to mention how much danger it would put our fellow students in." James and Sirius grinned at me while Remus smiled at me tiredly. "Besides, you kidnapped me, and I don't negotiate with kidnappers." I said before quickly standing up and dodging out of the way as Sirius went to push me down again.

"Lily and Elaine are waiting for me, and you really don't want to get on their bad sides." I said with a small smile, turning around only to have to dodge Sirius again.

"But we really want to know!" I looked down at Sirius's pleading face from where it rested at my feet before my eyes darted to the other boys expressions. They looked curious...and determined.

"How about this, I'll tell you if you can tell me my last name without asking Lily." They looked confused, as they probably should.

"Isn't it just Joannis?" I smirked at Peter before shaking my head.

"Nope, that's my mother's married name, and my parents didn't marry, so technically I have no right to the name. I'm referring to my fathers' last name." They still looked slightly confused.

"Well how are we supposed to find that out?" I grinned at them before shrugging.

"That's the idea." Sirius looked perplexed and even a little bit angry.

"That's not fair!" He whined, causing me to roll my eyes at him with a smile.

"I think that's the point, Sirius. If he made it fair, or easy, then he'd have to tell us, and he obviously doesn't." I smiled at Remus as he said this before it dropped as he continued. "We'll just have to find another way to get it out of him." I raised an eyebrow at him and smirked almost evilly, Damn I would have made a good Slytherin, even just for the facial expressions alone.

"Don't forget Remus, I have blackmail on _everyone_." I said darkly, and the other boys looked like they wanted to take a step back, and Peter did, but Remus simply froze for a second before nodding slowly.

"Duly noted." His eyes were glazed over, staring at the floor, before his head tilted up and he looked me in the eye. The other boys eyes darted between us in confusion and suspicion.

"What? What does he have on you?" Remus paled and shifted uncomfortably, so I fielded the question.

"Nothing important, just something no one would want to become common knowledge. Besides, I have blackmail on everyone." James snorted, rolling his eyes, obviously not believing me, and I grinned confidently.

"James Charlus Potter, born on the 27th of March 1960 to Harold and Tabitha Potter, grew up in London, and your wand is eleven inches long. You like my best friend Lily Evans and dislike Severus Snape, though that one's probably obvious. Also, you had potatoes, spaghetti and tacos for lunch." They stared at me in shock and James blushed furiously at the mention of his crush on Lily.

"How did you know-?" I cut him off with a roll of my eyes.

"Well it's pretty obvious to those who look hard enough." James looked to Remus for support but he just shrugged.

"He's telling the truth mate, it is kind of obvious." James seemed a little bit put out at this, glancing at the floor before his head snapped up again.

"How did you know the rest of that stuff? I mean, it's not exactly common knowledge. Did Dumbledore tell you?" he asked suspiciously and I shook my head quickly.

"Dumbledore only told me secrets about the school, not about its residents." James paused for a second, staring me in the eye before nodding.

"He's telling the truth...I think." He said unsurely, glancing at me sideways as if to make sure I hadn't moved after he took his eyes away.

"Of course I'm telling the truth. I don't lie unless it's absolutely necessary." Remus' head snapped up.

"If Dumbledore didn't tell you secrets about students, how did you know about my...blackmail?" i glanced at him, surprised it had taken him this long to catch onto that before answering.

"Let's just say, I have my ways."

* * *

(A/N): So, uh...yeah. It wasn't very good but still. Please review and/or check out my other story. By the way, Sand Paper Button, are you okay?


	11. You Can Tell Me Anything

(A/N): Hey Guys! Now, I know I haven't updated recently, which is pretty unusual seeing as I usual have to fight to keep myself to the two day minimum between uploads. For the past three days, I've been watching Avatar: the Last airbender, and before that I wasn't online for three days because I was writing. My favorite character from Avatar is Zuko. Yeah, you pretty much could of guessed it seeing, as he's a lot like Murtagh from Inheritance. Now, it seems pretty evident that Elaine might have a bit of a crush on Leo, but it wasn't intentional, it just sort of came out like that. My reviewer, Sand Paper Button, asked if Leo was gay, and I just gotta say, I was, and still am, considering it. Also, it's Elaine's Point of View.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Elaine, Leo, Quiggly and Nicholai.

* * *

Elaine

About an hour or so after the four boys had dragged Leo out of the Common room, he joined us at the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall.

"Have a nice trip?" I said it with no expression, but the slight amused tone in my voice made sure he knew I didn't mean it nastily. He didn't even glance at me and Lily as he sat down, pulling the plate of chicken and sausages towards him, his face expressionless.

"Oh yeah, it was great." He muttered, and I knew by his tone, and the lack of expression on his face, that it hadn't been good.

"Leo." He paused, frozen, before turning his head slightly to look at me, his eyes blank of emotion, usually spiked up blonde hair falling in his eyes. "Can I talk to you?" He shrugged, and went to turn back to his food before I clasped my hand on his shoulder and stood. "In private?" I asked, sending Lily a apologetic glance, which she returned with a confused look. He stood silently and I followed him out of the hall, but he didn't stop walking there. He led me down many hallways and corridors, before we finally arrived at a portrait of a bowl of fruit.

"Close your eyes." He said quietly, almost too quiet for me to catch, and I didn't argue, simply squeezing my eyes shut and covering them with a hand. I could feel him looking at me before I heard a quiet giggle, and the sound of a door opening. He grabbed my free hand, the one closest to him, and I almost turned bright red before he pulled me into a cocoon of sound. The door shut behind us, and his fingers touched the hand covering my eyes, resting there for a split second longer than they should have before he peeled the hand away from my eyes. I opened my eyes slowly, blinking to get adjusted to the newfound light, before pulling away as I realised Leo still had hold of both my hands.

"Come on." He didn't blush or anything, instead leading me, not by the hand this time, to the small table sitting on its own nearby. As we sat, a house elf with a small tuft of orange hair on his head and big brown eyes tottered over, bowing slightly as he reached us.

"Now Quiggly, you know there's no need to bow for us. Can you get me some sausages? Oh, and a hot chocolate for my friend and I?" Quiggly's eyes darted to me and he grinned.

"Master Leo brings a lady friend to the kitchen?" I resisted the urge to laugh as Leo winced, but the feeling soon went away. "And a beautiful lady friend at that!" With that, he raced away, leaving me flushing scarlet, and Leo the one laughing.

"Glad you find it so amusing!" It may have sounded mean, but we both knew I meant it sincerely. "What happened with the boys?" I asked, diving straight in, not really seeing the point of avoiding the matter at hand. His grin disappeared, just as Quiggly arrived back with the food and hot chocolates. We thanked him, and he dutifully left.

"Nothing much. Just..." I waited for a few seconds after he trailed off before slapping him on the arm.

"Stop it Leo! You're making me concerned, and I don't like it, so stop!" He smiled slightly before it turned into a frown.

"It was nothing Elaine, they just kidnapped me, dragged me to a deserted corridor and-" I cut him off with a gasp, covering my mouth with my hand in pretend shock, actually covering a small smile.

"They raped you didn't they? Lily was right; I shouldn't have let them take you!" I hung my head in my hands, hiding my face from his, but after a few seconds of silence I looked up, only to see him staring at me unamused. "Sorry." I muttered a small smile on my face. It dropped slowly, and I leaned closer to him, and he to me. We were only inches apart, staring into each other's eyes, and I fought the urge to blush. He glanced down and smiled before meeting my eyes again.

"Your hairs in your hot chocolate." I ignored him, my eyes starting to sting and water, and they fluttered closed before snapping open again, hoping he hadn't noticed my slip up.

"I win." He muttered, his warm breath ghosting over my skin, staring at me intently, and I could see, even this close up, why almost every girl in the school had started to fawn over him almost as much as they had James Potter, Sirius Black, and sometimes Remus Lupin. I'd say that dorm room was magic, but A: So is everything else in the castle, and B: Peter. His eyes were bright blue, and you could get lost in them for days, they had so much hurt in them, yet even more determination. His hair, even without its usual styling, looked good, hanging in his eyes as it did, and it's slightly darker blonde highlights glinting in the light above us. His chin was square and strong, and pushed up in determination unless his perfectly sculpted nose was buried in a book. His skin was pale, but still look healthy, and his lips were a healthy, appealing, pink. I pushed the thoughts and realised that I had been staring at him. I lurched back, just barely fighting off a blush, and he leaned back as well, looking amused.

"What?" I asked self-consciously, crossing my arms over my chest.

"Your hair is still in the hot chocolate." I glanced down to find the end of my ponytail dipped into the surface of my hot chocolate and grimaced, pulling it out and rubbing it on my school skirt.

"You could have told me." He looked shocked, before it turned slightly angry and indignant.

"I did!" I shook my head silently.

"No, I meant about what happened with the other boys." He lowered his head and I reached over, letting my hand rest on the back of his head before I slipped out of my chair, moving to kneel by his side before pulling him into a tight and reassuring hug.

"You can tell me anything Leo, you should know that." He slipped out of his chair and I readjusted my position, my arms still wrapped around him now that he kneeled in front of me on the cold stone tiles of the kitchen floor. His strong, warm arms wrapped around me, pulling me into his chest, his head resting in the nape of my neck, and I felt a single tear leak onto my neck, hot and painful, both emotionally and physically.

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(A/N): Review and/or check out my other stories.


	12. Fight or Flight

**_PLEASE READ!_**

(A/N): Hey Guys! So, I have some good news and some bad news. Good news, I won an ipad two days ago for the persuasive argument I wrote on the Maximum Ride series, and it's great! My five friends that were sitting around me did that thing friends always do when someone mentions you in public, they went crazy and started screaming, and so did everybody else! I was so shocked that everyone else did, because very few people know me, and I was surprised that I won seeing as I wrote it in a single lesson after I finished my work. Also, apparently they're going to put my picture in the advertiser because of it.

Okay, about the chapter.

This chapter wasn't that hard for me to right really, but by the end of it I was really sad, because I was making it up as I went along, and it turned out rather...depressing, in my opinion at least. Have fun with it though, even though it's pretty depressing, because the quality of the writing is bloody shit house! Also, now that I'm on holidays (first Monday off starting tomorrow!), I should be updating more often!

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Lily

About fifteen minutes after Leo and Elaine disappeared, I decided to follow them, mainly because I was worried, and also because James Potter were on their way over here. I wandered the halls for a few minutes and came to a corridor with a portrait of a fruit bowl at one end. I sighed and went to turn around before I heard the door open. I quickly rushed behind a tapestry, foolishly thinking it was Potter and his friends, peeking out only to find it was Elaine and Leo. She had one arm around his shoulder, the other holding his hand, and he had the side of his head on her shoulder, leaning against her lightly as if for support, and just as I was about to shout out to them, I saw the tears carving their tracks down his cheeks. I felt a surge of jealousy rush through me, not because I liked Leo in _that_ way, but because I felt Elaine was quickly taking my place as Leo's best friend. I had already lost Tuney, and partially Sev, I couldn't deal with losing Leo, and I had only met him a few months ago. Suddenly, Leo paused, looking like a dog, sniffing the air almost unnoticeably before his eyes darted towards the tapestry behind which I was hiding. He let go of Elaine's hand and shared a look with her. She pulled her arm from his shoulders and nodded before walking off in the opposite direction. Leo stood still for a few seconds, and I held my breath, before his head turned to the floor.

"You can come out now Lils." I flushed in embarrassment before taking a breath and stepping out from behind the dusty material.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to spy." I said quietly, and Leo's head snapped up.

"Spying generally means not getting caught." He replied, taking a step towards me. I swallowed lightly, gingerly taking a step forward. I didn't know why I was so nervous, he was my best friend, I shouldn't be afraid.

"Still, I'm sorry." My eyes drifted to his feet, and I took another step forward. "What are you crying about?" I asked bluntly, though still quiet, my eyes resting upon his face curious and concerned.

"It's nothing." He muttered, turning his face away as if trying to hide, his voice tired and full of hurt, but I decided to give him some space on the subject.

"If you say so." I whispered, keeping my eyes on him, watching him, feeling as if at any second he would burst into tears again, like a little girl, and curl up into a ball in the corner.

"I do say so." He muttered under his breath, something I think he didn't know I'd hear, if the look of surprise on his face when I confronted him about it was any clue.

"Don't be such a little bitch about it, or next time I won't ask." I growled, glaring at him with my arms crossed over my chest, resisting the rather strong urge to stomp my foot.

"Well, maybe next time you shouldn't!" He exclaimed angrily, reciprocating my glare, his hands balled into fists by his side, and I dare say he looked quite a bit more menacing than I did.

"Oh, believe me, I won't! I won't ask you about anything!" He rolled his eyes and shook his head, his mouth curved into a menacing smirk.

"Now you sound like your bloody sister! You were so angry and depressed when she stopped asking about Hogwarts, and now you're doing the exact same thing, you're just a hypocrite Lily, a bloody hypocrite!" My mind went blank for a second, my vision blurred red with rage, and I stepped closer, until we were only inches apart, my top lip pulled back over my teeth in a furious and superior looking sneer.

"A hypocrite?" I asked, deathly quiet, which would have been enough to alert anyone else to the danger they were in. "I'd rather ask _James bloody Potter_ about anything, at least he's not a secretive _bastard_!" Leo raised an eyebrow, his mouth closing and his lips pressing together in a tight line, his face going blank as he nodded twice, looking off to the side, and I instantly regretted my words, but I was still angry and too stubborn to swallow my pride and apologise.

"Is that what you think?" He asked quietly, avoiding my eyes, his teeth locked together as if to keep him from spitting insults.

"Yes." I whispered, dropping my glare to the ground, though it had softened slightly. I refused to look up at him, refused to accept the fact that I had just practically told my best friend that I hated him.

"Well...I'll see you around than Evans." My head snapped up as he called me by my last name, something that he had _never_ done. His eyes didn't hold any malice, they were blank, his mouth wasn't curled into a snarl, nor his usual half-smile, not even a slight frown, simply blank. That's all I could get from him, my best friend: blank, blank, blank. He looked at me for a second before turning around and walking away, and I stood stock still, staring after him.

He didn't look back.

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(A/N): Depressed yet? Don't worry too much, I have plans for this. Please review and/or check out my other stories! Also, welcome to my new reviewer, RandomLurker, and my steady reviewer, Sand Paper Button.


	13. Laugh when you're about to cry

(A/N): Hey Guys! So, this chapter was really hard for me to right, as you can probably tell by how crappy it is. Another chapter from lily's Point of View, but the next one will definitely be from Leo's point of view again. Don't take any of the jokes about James Potter to heart okay, I don't want to get flames about how he's really awesome and I shouldn't make fun of him, because I'm writing this from Lily's pov, and she hates him to begin with, remember?

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Leo, Elaine, Nicholai and Quiggly.

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Lily

I stood there, frozen, for a undeterminable amount of time before I spun on my heel and raced away, back to the Gryffindor common room, though as soon as I entered, I regretted that decision, because _he _was there. Not Leo, but someone almost as undesirable to me at this minute, James Potter. By the looks of it, Elaine had been talking to Remus, who was sitting beside of him on the couch about the assignment we'd received in Charms, seeing as she was standing beside them, a half-finished essay in her hand, and the three looked up as I entered. I stared at them for a second, and they stared back, before I rushed over to the stairs to the girls dorm rooms, scaling them quickly before pushing open the door and flopping face-down onto my bed, which was, thankfully, the closest one to the door.

"Lily?" I heard Elaine exclaim, presumably having followed me, and I realised now that tears had been streaming down my face for quite some time now. I felt her weight on the edge of my bed, and her hand rested on my back, moving up and down, trying to sooth me.

"Wow, Leo and you both burst into tears within half an hour of each other, around me. You know, I'm not really good at comforting people, maybe you should talk to him about this-?" I sat up abruptly, startling her.

"Why would I talk to him? He's the one who did this!" I flopped back onto the bed, and I could practically see Elaine stare at me, perplexed.

"But...you guys are best friends." I rolled my eyes into my pillow.

"We used to be!" I told her between sobs, my voice muffled slightly by the pillow that was pressed against my mouth.

"Well...what the hell happened to change it?" I tried to calm my sobs, and they did, but the tears still streamed down my cheeks, half-sad, half-angry, and I sat up to look her in the eyes as I told her everything that had happened, since they had left during breakfast. When I went to tell her about our fight, however, I couldn't meet her eyes any longer, and dropped my gaze to my clasped hands where they sat on my lap.

"Lily...he'll forgive you." My head snapped up and she quickly backpedalled. "I mean, if you choose to forgive him, he'll forgive you, but he won't make the first step. Every boy's the same, they put their pride before anything else." I nodded, hugging my pillow to my chest for comfort before looking up at her.

"What was Leo...you know...crying about?" I asked quietly, curious. Leo was a strong person, and wasn't exactly the type of person to burst into tears over something little. Elaine shrugged, her lips twitching up in the corner.

"I don't know, he wouldn't tell me." My eyebrows wrinkled together and I frowned. I may regret saying it, but Leo really was secretive.

"What were you talking about before, though?" She frowned, thinking back, and her lips pressed into a thin line, her eyebrows rising.

"I asked him what happened when the boys kidnapped him, and he said it was nothing. I told him he could tell me anything, and he just started crying. You should have seen my face, I swear, it was so bizarre I almost slapped him!" Her exclamation startled a chuckle from my lips, and I smiled slightly, imagining the situation she had been in. Having someone, a strong-willed someone she met only a week before, start crying right in front of her? I think I _would_ have slapped him!

"That would have left him like-" I pulled a shocked face, and Elaine giggled quietly, trying to hide it with the back of her hand. "And you would have been like-" I put my hands to my face apologetically and shook my head quickly. "Sorry!" I squeaked, and Elaine chuckled before slapping me lightly on the arm.

"Hey, I know! Tonight, to cheer you up, we'll have a girls night! Just you, me, and James Potter!" I snorted loudly before falling off the side of my bed, cackling.

"Nice one, Elaine!" I cried between peals of laughter, holding a hand up to high-five her, which she quickly gave me.

"Yeah, well, he deserves it. Did you know, he wouldn't let me copy his Charms essay? What a dick!" I snickered, falling down again as I tried to climb onto the bed.

"Elaine! Watch your language please, if the teachers hear you they'll put you in detention with him, and you'll have to help him pick his outfit for the next day!" We fell down again, her on the bed, me on the floor, cackling, tears streaming down my face, this time in mirth instead of sadness. When our moods sobered after making several more jokes about James Potter, I looked up to where she sat on the bed.

"What if he doesn't forgive me?" I asked her quietly, and she rolled her eyes before tutting at me.

"Lily, you're his best freaking friend, if he doesn't forgive you, I'll hit him with a shovel and lock him in a broom closet myself!" I blinked before rolling onto my back.

"Thank you, Elaine. I don't know what I'd do without you." She rolled over, reaching an arm down, grabbing my hand to pull me up onto the bed, and we lay side by side on our backs.

"I know you'd still be crying, instead of laughing. I know you'd think that Leo's going to hate you forever, when really; you just had a little fight. I know you wouldn't be half as good at making fun of James!" I snorted and shook my head.

"Please, making fun of Potter is my specialty." She sighed, bit her lip and raised an eyebrow as if considering it.

"If that's what you consider a specialty, I'd love to see what you think you're bad at." I gasped and kicked her lightly in the shin, playfully.

"So rude!" I said, turning to look at her.

"That hurts, that hurts a lot." She said, placing a hand over her heart and nodding at me. We stared at each other for a few second before bursting into laughter yet again.

"And I bet you, Leo won't be having nearly as much fun as we are, because you're his best friend Lily, and he hasn't really got anyone else." I raised my eyebrow at her, confused.

"But what about you?" She shook her head quickly, looking shocked.

"Lily, I've only known him for a week! We don't have the same kind of connection you two have, and don't you believe for a second, a _second_, that I could ever take your place." I moved my gaze to the ceiling, staring at it as though, if I stared at it for long enough, it would tell me exactly what I had to do to get Leo back by my side.

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(A/N): Please review and/or check out my other stories! Thank you to my three reviewers, Sand Paper Button, RandomLurker and Guest!


	14. Aftermath

(A/N): Hey Guys! So, this chapter was originally supposed to be longer, but I decided to split it into two parts, but I haven't written the other half yet. I really love writing this story, but I have to say I didn't convey the things in this chapter very well.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Leo, Elaine, Quiggly and Nicholai.

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Leo

I spun on my heel, turning away from Lily, tears burning behind my eyes and I refused to let them fall. It was a bad fight, our first major one, and I knew she would want to apologise soon. I wasn't going to forgive her. Well, I already _did_ forgive her, but I wasn't going to tell _her_ that. I knew Elaine would pester me to apologise as soon as she found out about our fight, but it was for the best. I was doing this for the greater good, I really was. I was a danger to Lily's safety, and Lily is what mattered most to me. I was a danger to Elaine as well, so I would have to avoid her just as much. I didn't care about what she'd said during our fight, I had done it on purpose, started our fight I mean. I knew exactly how to piss Lily off, and usually I avoided it at all costs, but the longer I was around her, the more her life was at risk. I turned around, in a circle, until I was facing the way I had come, a few corridors away from where I had started, and took one step before turning to my right and punching the stone wall beside me as hard as I could. Yeah, probably not the best of choices on my part, because it hurt like hell.

"Shit!" I swore loudly, followed by many other profane expletives I wouldn't want a teacher to hear, unless I wanted detention for a month, which I most certainly didn't. Though...perhaps it would make avoiding Lily easier...No, I don't want detention for a month. Besides, Professor Dumbledore told me to behave. I folded my injured arm into my stomach to protect it from further harm, using the other hand to brace myself on the wall and push myself out of my position of kneeling on the floor in agony. I winced as my steps jostled my hand, which by now, I was almost completely sure was broken.

"To the Hospital Wing it is then." I muttered, and started towards the medical relief I would surely need in a rush.

* * *

Madam Pomfrey blinked at me as I entered, her eyes wide with surprise, looking up from the patient she was working on before assuring him she'd be back in a minute and bustling over to me.

"Leonides, what are you doing here? You came here not two days ago for your last dose, what-?" At that moment, I cut her off by gesturing to the bloody and slightly mangled looking hand I held pressed to my stomach, and she winced before grabbing my other arm and dragging me to the nearest hospital bed.

"Sit!" She ordered sharply, like she was trying to command a dog to do the same, instead of an eleven year old half-vampire. I, of course, obeyed, trying to ignore the burning throb of pain that coursed through my arm as I did so. "What the bloody hell did you do?" She asked quickly and quietly, glancing back at the only other patient in the room before whipping out her wand.

"Well...I may have punched a wall." She had the look on her face I only saw her use when she saw something incredibly stupid about to happen, a look of 'oh, don't tell me'!

"Don't tell me, you used full strength?" She said, a hint of sarcasm in her voice, and I shrugged before wincing and hissing quietly, instantly regretting the movement. She rolled her eyes and grabbed my injured hand, drawing it out towards her to get a better look.

"Shit." I muttered under my breath, and she raised her eyebrows and her head snapped up.

"What was that?" I shook my head and bit my lip, my eyes blurring slightly with the pain.

"Nothing, just a cough mam." I choked out, and she smiled slightly. I'm guessing, for a usual human, a broken hand wouldn't hurt not nearly as much, seeing as I still felt the same rate of pain as full-humans, and I had hit the wall with a lot more force than a human could, and the fact that madam Pomfrey wouldn't as careful with me as I would wish, seeing as I was sure by now that the bones in my hand were completely shattered.

"Stay perfectly still, and I'll have it healed in a few seconds." It took longer than a few seconds. It took more than a minute. Hell, probably more than two minutes! The entire time, I was in agony, my features screwed up as I tried to hold back my cries of pain. When it finally stopped, my hand was as healed as she could make it, and when I opened my eyes, she looked rather distraught. It _hurt her_ to cause _me_ pain.

"Are you okay?" She whispered, and I could tell by her tone that she was holding back tears. She obviously hated causing people pain, which is probably why she was a healer, and causing children pain? It must have been torture for her, so, trying to reassure her, I pulled on a brave smile.

"Peachy, you?" A surprised chuckle burst from between her lips and she grinned at me before clearing her throat and composing herself.

"Well, I'm glad." She picked up my hand again, which only had a dull throb to it now, and inspected it once more before waving her wand. I tensed, worried it was another round of healing, but instead a bandage flew towards us accompanied by a potion, a small tub filled with a poultice, and a small phial of blood.

"This will be cold." Wow, understatement of the year. That poultice was freaking freezing! Like bloody ice, and she had to rub it from my wrist all the way to the tips of my fingers until it had sunk in. Then, she wrapped my hand with the bandage and handed me the potion and the phial, both of which I downed in one gulp each.

"Your hand should be fully healed by tomorrow night, as long as you don't sleep on it or punch another wall." She said this with a teasing smile, so I grinned back at her before standing up.

"Um...I'm free to go, right?" She smiled again before nodding and shooing me out.

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Maybe fifteen minutes later, I entered the Gryffindor Common room, just as Elaine walked down the stairs. She, and Remus, James, Sirius and Peter, who were sitting on the couches, looked up as I entered, and Elaine caught my gaze for a second and started to move towards me. I froze for a second before turning on my heel and racing out the way I came, and I could hear five sets of footsteps behind me.

"Leo!" I heard Elaine call out from behind me, and I could tell she was pissed at me, and slightly sad, just by the tone of her voice. I slid around a corner and muttered the password to a portrait that I recognised before entering the corridor behind it as it opened. It shut quickly, but there was a small gap where the portrait met the wall, and I could see as Elaine, James, Sirius, Remus and Peter all rushed around the corner, rather out of breath and confused, seeing as I had only rounded the corner a few seconds before them, and I had seemingly disappeared.

"Why did you follow us?" Elaine asked the boys curiously, and I saw James blush slightly before turning to look at her.

"Because Leo's our friend too." I could see Elaine raise her eyebrows sceptically.

"That and the fact that he has a _massive_ crush on Lily." Elaine's eyebrows rose even further as Remus said this, and James blush deepened greatly.

"Sirius!" He hissed, turning around to see Sirius with his hands in a '_wasn't me'_ gesture, before he pointed at Remus who shrugged at James' '_what the hell man_'? expression. Well, I can see the reason to automatically assume that Sirius had said it, seeing as it was a very 'Sirius' thing to say. Elaine rolled her eyes a little before shaking her head and starting back towards the Gryffindor common room, the four boys in tow. After waiting a few minutes, I pushed the portrait open and stepped out, glancing after them before turning to walk in the opposite direction, only to come face to face- or, well, technically face to chest- with Professor Dumbledore.

"P-professor! What are you doing here?"

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(A/N): Please review and/or check out my other stories!


	15. Aftermath Part 2

(A/N): Hey Guys! So, this is the second chapter in the past day, and I've already written the next one. Hope you enjoy them both!

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Leo, Quiggly, Elaine and Nicholai.

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Leo

"P-professor! What are you doing here?" I stuttered, and Dumbledore smiled slightly, shaking his head slowly.

"Surprise is the curse of every scholar, young Leo. After all, I am Headmaster, why wouldn't I be here?" I composed myself, pushing my surprise to the back of my mind.

"I meant here specifically, sir." Professor Dumbledore beckoned with a finger before turning and walking the way he came, with me now in tow.

"Well, I had heard about your fight with Miss Evans, and I had decided to see if I could offer my advice on the subject." My eyebrows quirked slightly before falling back into place.

"And how, may I ask, did you hear about the matter so soon after its development?" He turned his head to look down at me with a knowing smile.

"The walls of Hogwarts hold many secrets, young Leo, never forget that." He dropped the subject, and for now, so did I.

Minutes later, we arrived at his office, undisturbed, and he gestured for me to take a seat across from his at the large desk he sat behind. I knew something was up, seeing as usually, during our meetings, we would sit in the chairs by the fire, not at the desk.

"Now, tell me, how did this fight start?" I glanced down at my lap before lifting it to his face again.

"To be honest, it wasn't a true fight." This was the first time I've seen Dumbledore surprised, his eyebrows rose slightly, his lips parted in a small 'o' and his eyes twinkling with curiosity instead of knowledge.

"Oh? What was behind this 'fight' then?" I swallowed quietly, my gaze flicking around the room before finding his again.

"Well... above anything else, it's because I want to keep Lily safe. And Elaine for that matter, and the boys in my dorm. Anyone who becomes friends with me, is instantly at risk, and I don't want that. I want to keep them safe, and this is the easiest way. I make them hate me, and they don't want to be around me, which leaves less chance of me _feeding on them_. It's for the Greater Good." Behind the desk, I saw Dumbledore flinch, and I vaguely wondered what that was about, before he leaned further over the desk, towards me.

"Leonides," My eyebrows rose, and I was instantly alert. The only time Dumbledore had called me by my full name was when we had first met! "When I was younger, a _lot_ younger, I had a friend. He had particular views, and, at the time, I shared them. He did things _for the Greater Good_, and one of those things resulted in the death of my younger sister." I blinked, feeling sad for him, but silently wondering what this had to do with my situation with Lily. "Some people like to look at the big picture, Leo, but maybe what you need is to look at one piece of the puzzle, the piece that is right _now_, not in the distant future." I stared at the polished desk in front of him for a minute, considering it, before shaking my head.

"The situation is different, and difficult. If I go to Lily now, and apologise, then we'll both be happy, but I don't doubt the fact that I will eventually turn on her, turn on everyone I know and love, and rip their throats out. So no, I think I'll stick with my original plan." I got up to leave, and when I was in the doorway, I turned to look at him.

"And I'm sorry about what happened to your sister." I whispered, locking my eyes with his as he looked up, seeming rather disappointed and sad that I hadn't taken his advice.

"Thank you." I nodded before closing the door behind me.

I stayed up, all night. There wasn't much point in trying to sneak into bed past the four boys and Elaine, so I just stayed up, wandering around the castle, dodging teachers and such. When it came time for breakfast, I went down as soon as possible, six a.m, and ate before leaving as quickly as possible, which was a good thing, seeing as Lily and Elaine were heading down the grand staircase as I made my exit, but thankfully, they hadn't noticed me. I wandered the halls a bit more until it was time for our first class of the day, Transfiguration. I walked into the classroom a few minutes early, seeing as I knew that, without me, Elaine and Lily always tended to turn up to class a little later than everyone else. Of course, trying to avoid them, I sat way at the front, next to a random Ravenclaw girl whose name I _think_ is Madison. About ten minutes after I arrived, the classroom started filling up, and Lily, Elaine, James, Remus, Sirius and Peter entered, forced to sit at the back by the amount of seats already taken, not that the boys were complaining, that's where they usually sat anyway. I could feel their eyes burning into the back of my head, and concentrated more on my hearing.

"He's avoiding me." Lily whispered sadly, and I almost caved then and there, hearing how devastated she was.

"He's avoiding all of us." Sirius told her, from across Elaine, trying to reassure her that I didn't just hate her.

"What time did he come in last night?" Lily asked Sirius, who I assume shrugged, because Remus was left to field the question, seeing as he was the next person closest to her by position.

"He didn't. I stayed up almost all night...reading, and he didn't come in." Yeah, reading. He was having trouble sleeping, due to the fact that the moon was growing fuller and fuller, not the fact that he was studying for the next test that popped up. Ah, the only advantages of being a half-vampire freak, you get to spy on the werewolf boy.

"So...Where was he?" I assume Remus shrugged, seeing as they all let the subject drop, and were silent for the rest of class.

As McGonagall dismissed the class, I rose from my seat, and I was the first one out of the classroom, gone before anyone could even stand up fully.

"Leo!" I heard Lily call from the doorway as I went to round the corner at the end of the corridor, and I paused for a second on instinct, before shaking my head slightly and speeding up.

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(A/N): Please review and/or check out my other stories.


	16. Mister Logic and Realisation

(A/N): Hey Guys! So, this chapter is from Elaine's point of view, and it's only four days until I start up school again. I've already written the next chapter, and it has a Remus PoV in it! Yay for new things?

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Leo, Elaine, Nicholai and Quiggly.

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Elaine

I stood behind Lily in the doorway, and I watched him pause in his retreat as Lily called his name, before shaking his head and rushing away. I put my hand on Lily's shoulder and steered her out of the doorway, making sure we didn't get yelled at by our classmates or Professor McGonagall for holding them up. The boys from Leo's dorm, James Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew came out behind us and joined us in our position off to the side of the doorway, out of the way of the crowd of students eager to get away from their transfiguration lesson.

"I don't get it." I heard Lily whisper, her chin pushed into her chest, her arms wrapped around her mid-section, and I could tell that she was holding back tears.

"Don't get what?" I asked her quietly, wrapping an arm around her shoulders, squeezing her reassuringly.

"Why is he doing this?" My forehead wrinkled, and I sat still for a minute, trying to figure out what she was talking about.

"What do you mean?" I asked finally, realising that there was no way I would be able to figure it out on my own. I glanced up at the boys, and they looked confused as well, even Remus, who was just about the smartest person I had ever met.

"I should have seen it earlier!" Lily scolded herself angrily, and I raised an eyebrow.

"Lily, calm down. What should you have seen earlier?" She glanced at me with watery eyes before she sunk to the ground, her back pressed against the wall, and the rest of us soon followed.

"He's doing it on purpose." Again, I was confused. Lily had a way of telling you everything, and yet nothing, all at the same time.

"Who's doing what on purpose?" Remus asked, scooting closer to Lily before resting a hand on her other shoulder comfortingly.

"Leo. He started the fight on purpose. I don't know why, I just know he did." Remus and I shared confused glances before looking back down at Lily concernedly.

"How do you know?" She glanced up at Remus, who gave her a friendly smile, before turning to me.

"Well...it's the things he said. Leo is the only person who knows what gets me the angriest, and usually he avoids them. I didn't realise until just before, but he's doing this on purpose, and now he's avoiding us." I'm pretty sure I must have looked comically confused, but in a split second, it turned to surprise, and then to anger.

"Remember what I said I'd do if he didn't forgive you? I think I might do it anyway." I went to stand up, and to go find a shovel to wack him over the head with, but Lily grabbed my arm and pulled me back down.

"Elaine, don't!" I stared down at her, shocked, and she looked slightly amused.

"Why not?" She turned to Remus to get help to stop me from possibly killing Leo, but he shrugged.

"I don't know what she plans to do, but he did kind of bring it on himself." I raised an eyebrow at him, and gave Lily a smug smile when she turned back around.

"See? I even have Mister Logic on my side. Do you guys know where I could find a shovel, perchance?" The boys raised their eyebrows, and Remus shook his head, probably regretting his decision to side with me.

"Elaine! I don't know why he started the fight, or is avoiding us, but I know _Leo_, and he must have a _damn_ _good_ reason for it." I refused to look at her for a few seconds, avoiding her knowledgeable gaze before my eyes darted downwards to meet hers, and I sighed, acknowledging her point. "Besides, you know if Leo doesn't want to talk, you won't be able to make him." I nodded with a small smile.

"I don't think he likes it. I mean, you're his best friend Lily, and even though he makes a point of pushing people away, he does care about you, and it must be _killing_ him to pretend to hate you." Sirius said, and for a second, I marvelled at the intelligence behind his statement before remembering what Leo had said sometime in the past week.

"_Sirius is a lot more intelligent than people give him credit for, because he hides it behind humour and pranks."_

People never see Sirius as a clever person, because he doesn't want them to. If he thought it fit, he could probably ace every test, even if the rest of us fail. When I was younger, my father used to have a saying: 'If every fool had gold a plenty, a wise man would have much more, because knowledge is the most valuable of all assets, even if it is kept hidden for years on end.' That's what you get, when your father's a Ravenclaw people, I was six, and didn't understand a word of it at the time, but right now, it kind of applied to Sirius.

"No one likes starting fights, Sirius...well, except for you." James said, before grinning at him to let him know he was joking. Sirius reached over and mussed up his hair, something James was not pleased about.

"Oh, stop worrying about your hair Potter, it looks the same as it always does, like you were in a tornado." I muttered, and Lily shot me a grin while James simply pouted at me.

"Why though?" Remus asked, still puzzled by the revelation that Leo had started the fight between Lily and him.

"Well...most of the time, I don't understand Leo. I mean, he doesn't exactly offer up information about himself easily, now does he?" Something clicked in James' head and he turned to stare at me.

"Elaine, what's Leo's last name?" I was both confused, and intrigued by this question. Why did he need to know? Wasn't that common knowledge?

"Joannis, isn't it?" James shook his head quickly.

"I mean his father's last name, what's his father's last name?" I searched my brain for a few seconds before Lily answered.

"It's-" Remus cut her off by placing a hand over her mouth. After a few seconds, and a nod from Lily, he let go, and she got the message.

"We're not allowed to ask you, Lily. But he never said anything about not asking _Elaine_!" I raised my eyebrows before shrugging.

"Well...isn't it...doesn't it start with an...E?" I looked to Lily, and she nodded before waving her hand, telling me to continue. "Ell...Eil...Ellwo- Ellwood! It's Ellwood! It is Ellwood, isn't it?" I looked to Lily again, for confirmation, and she nodded eagerly.

"Thank you!" James called over his shoulder, already, halfway down the corridor, leaving behind a puzzled Lily and I, and an amused Sirius, Remus and Peter.

"Think we should follow him?" Sirius asked Remus, who considered it for a second before shaking his head.

"Hey, what's the worst that can happen?"

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(A/N): **REVIEW**and/or check out my other stories!


	17. James Potter is a Ninja

(A/N): Hey Guys! So, remember how I said this was a Remus PoV chapter? Well, it's Leo to start with, and then Remus later on. I know Leo may seem like a bit of an ass, but he really is a nice guy, he just knows it's dangerous for people to be around him, and he doesn't want his friends close enough to get hurt, so he tries to push them away by making them hate him. So, I haven't written the next chapter, because I have no clue what's going to happen, seriously, I'm making this whole thing up as I go along! Also, school starts up again tomorrow morning, so I'll be even more busy. I got a haircut the other day, and it's super cute, but annoying, because my sister keeps running her fingers through it, rather roughly, and it hurts. That wasn't very relevant, but still. Also, I got my sister to start watchign Avatar: the Last Airbender with me! Yays!

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Leo, Elaine, Quiggly and Nicholai.

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Leo

I don't know how he found me, and I don't know how he managed to sneak up on me, but the only thing I can think of is that James Potter is a ninja.

I mean, seriously, I was sitting in a deserted corridor on the other side of the school, and he somehow just popped up, right next to me. Gave me quite the fright, I'll tell you that.

"Merlin's pants James! You scared the shit out of me!" I yelped, jumping up as I noticed him on the step next to me. "How did you find me?" I asked quietly, composing myself, curious now.

"It wasn't that hard actually. You're sitting pretty close to the Great Hall." He shrugged, to which I swivelled my head to look around. Huh, I had wondered why it looked so familiar. I guess it's time to start driving my dorm mates away too.

"Oh, and here I was thinking I was in a secluded part of the castle, away from annoying pricks like you." I stood up again, and he stared up at me, eyebrows raised, looking both confused and hurt.

"Woah, woah, woah, what the hell brought this on?" I flinched and stuttered for a second before turning on my heel and high-tailing it out of there.

"Leo!" James called after me, and it suddenly occurred to me how often people had been doing that lately. "Ellwood!" I froze in place before turning around to face him.

"How did you find out-?" I realised for a second, and stood there, stunned, before shaking my head.

"You asked Elaine, didn't you?" He stared at me for a second before nodding once.

"Yeah, I did. You only said we couldn't ask Lily, you never said anything about Elaine." I glared at the ceiling before shaking my head in frustration.

"I guess I have no choice but tell you the truth." He waited eagerly, so I told him. "The reason I Know all this stuff is because I'm a half-vampire, Dumbledore only let me into the school if I agreed to abide by a certain list of rules. The reason he told me the secret of Hogwarts is so I can avoid people if I'm...thirsty." I stared at him, awaiting a response, and he stared back. Then, he burst out laughing.

"Dude, you're hilarious! Though, it would explain a lot." He raised an eyebrow before shrugging. "Half-vampire. Yeah, and I'm half-thestral! When you're ready to give a real answer, you know where to find me." He stood up and walked away, and I stared after him, perplexed but also glad. I had actually told someone the truth about my condition, and he had laughed it off. He didn't believe me, but since I had told him...I didn't need to give him another answer! Which means, he can't badger me about it again, which is pretty much the best thing I've ever heard.

What I need, is a way to drive them all away. A way to ensure that they'll all live to see the birth of their children, a way to make sure that no one will get close enough to me for them to get hurt.

Or for me to get hurt.

Remus

I was sitting in the dorm room with the other boys, except for James and Leo. Sirius was sitting on the bed across from Peter's, trying to teach him how to play poker, Peter was attempting to listen, and I was sitting on my bed reading one of the many interesting books i had found in the school Library when James flung the door open and flopped onto his bed.

"Lily still angry at you?" I asked him softly from over my book, and he looked up at me.

"Yeah. Maybe I shouldn't have tripped him in front of her." I raised an eyebrow at him while Sirius rolled his eyes.

"Oh please, he totally deserved it. He was insulting you, what were you supposed to do?" James seemed to be considering it, so I snapped my book shut to join the conversation.

"If you want Lily to like you back, you need to stop harassing her friends." I told him, and he stared at me blankly.

"I only insulted Snivelly, not Leo. Speaking of which," He said, before I could fit in another word edge-wise. "I couldn't tell you earlier because of classes, but I talked to him earlier." Sirius and I nodded understandingly, before saying in unison,

"We figured that's why you asked about his last name." James gaze darted between us before nodding.

"Yeah, but it was so strange. I mean, I was talking to him, not saying anything rude, and he just snapped and started insulting me. And then, when I said his last name, he 'told me the truth'." I raised an eyebrow, and Sirius looked perplexed, making a face.

"What's with the emphasis on that? Something you're not telling us?" James rolled his eyes before filling us in.

"Well, what he said was, 'The reason Dumbledore told me all this stuff, all the secrets of Hogwarts, is because I'm half-vampire, and I had to agree to a certain set of rules in order to be allowed here. I need to know the secret passages and such in case I need to evade people when I'm _thirsty_.' Seriously though, what kind of cock and bull story is that?" Sirius let a bark like laugh, but I stared at the floor for a minute, thinking hard. Leo...a half-vampire? Well...that would explain a lot. Especially the smell. Oh god, the smell! It kind of smells good, it kind of smells bad...it's just a really strange, overpowering smell.

"And I said, if you're half-vampire, then I'm half-thestral!" James exclaimed, and Sirius laughed so hard he almost fell off the bed he was sitting on, but I was still deep in thought. I guess James is part thestral then. Okay, back to Leo's smell. I'm guessing, to normal humans, whether muggles or witches and wizards, they'd only have the good side of the smell, but seeing as I'm a Werewolf, I can also smell the bad. I'd say it's supposed to be a tool to draw people to them, to make them let their guard down. I mean, what else could it possibly be used for? ...Don't answer that Sirius, I really don't want to know. Really, I don't.

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(A/N): Please review and/or check out my other stories!


	18. Moony: Servant of the Night?

(A/N): Hey Guys! So, this is the second chapter I've updated tonight, and has a lot of Remus in it. Also, I realised I channelled _my_ self-hate into Leo's character, so sorry if he seems a little more angst-y than usual in this chapter. Also, man am I glad that I rate all my stories T, because recently there is a lot more swearing in this story. Or, well, what old ladies class as swearing. I have school in the morning, but it's only 7:45 p.m at the minute, so I might get another chapter done by tomorrow.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Leo, Elaine, Nicholai and Quiggly.

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Leo

I have also come to the conclusion that Remus Lupin, is also a servant of the night, or a ninja as they are more commonly known. He is not as stealthy as James, but he has almost found me, when I really was sitting in a deserted corridor on the other side of the corridor. God damn, those boys need to wear bells or something! Or, I guess I should say, 'Merlin, those boys need to wear bells or something'. I had never really adjusted to the use of Merlin instead of God, though my parents had been using it since before I was born. Some things just sounded better with god in front of them, instead of Merlin. I'm not religious or anything, I just think 'God damn' sounds better than 'Merlin damn', you know?

Okay, so enough about my beliefs, back to the four night sleuths that I happen to share a dorm with. I assume Remus wants to talk to me, just like James did, but I've decided to put more effort into avoiding Remus, seeing as he could probably talk me out of my plan to ensure the others safety and made me apologise to the others before I could resist. Damn him and his excess of knowledge!

"Leo?" Crap. Remus. I stood up and turned around, very quickly, and saw Remus standing near me.

"Hello Remus." I said with a sigh, sitting down on the cold stone floor once more. I glanced up at him before patting the spot next to me, to let him know it was safe to sit down. Despite how calm he was acting, I could smell the stench of fear on him, and it was almost as alluring as blood itself. He must know. He would have heard James reciting what I told him, and figured it out from that.

"Relax, I'm not going to bite you." He blinked, staring at me for a few more seconds before sitting next to me, a few inches further than others would. Smart boy, not reckless like his friends.

"How did you know I knew?" he asked quietly, still staring at me, and I shifted slightly uncomfortably.

"Because I can _smell_ your fear of being near me." I glanced away, but I couldn't hide my amused smile as I heard him sniff quietly.

"I don't smell-" He cut himself off, thinking for a second before nodding. "Of course, enhanced senses, all the time. I can only smell people's emotions just before the full moon." I raised an eyebrow slightly.

"You seem to know a bit more about my kind than others would, Moony." Both of his eyebrows rose, and he stared at me confused. "Get it? Moony? You're a werewolf, full moon, Moony...? Gosh, maybe you aren't as smart as I thought you were." He shook his head, a small, amused smile gracing his lightly scarred features.

"I get it now. What am I supposed to call you, Fang?" I thought about it a second before shaking my head.

"Might get confused with that new pup of Hagrids." Remus nodded, thinking intensely once more.

"How about Blue? I mean, blood, when unexposed to oxygen, is blue right? So, how about Blue?" I quickly scanned the pro's and con's of such a nickname before nodding slowly.

"Yeah, I like it. It's not as obvious as yours, thank god." Remus raised an eyebrow, and I shrugged. "What, I don't want people to find out-" He cut me off, shaking his head.

"Not that, I'm just surprised you said 'thank god' instead of 'thank Merlin'. Don't all pure-blood wizards, and most half-bloods for that matter, use Merlin instead of God?" I shrugged, thinking back.

"Well...I was raised more by my mum than my dad, and he had a very different upbringing, if you get what I mean. He says he actually _met_ Merlin once!" Remus raised an eyebrow sceptically.

"Bull. I don't think your dad's old enough to have met-" He paused for a second, realising, before shaking his head. "Never mind." I smirked at him before a question popped into my head, pushing me to ask it.

"What about you? You don't use Merlin." Remus shrugged, biting his lip lightly, his gaze darting to the ground before back up.

"Well, I'm a half-blood, and what with my...condition, I didn't get out much. My mother, the magical of the two, was a half-blood herself, and didn't really warm to the phrase, and so she never really said it." I nodded in understanding. "Leo... can I ask about...your condition?" I winced at the phrasing he used, but answered him all the same.

"What's to talk about? When my parents were trying to have me, my father, a vampire, seduced my mother and left her with no memory of the event, and so when I was born, they simply thought I was her husband's. Of course, when I was seven years old, the doctors told them, and me, what I was. They kicked me out, disgraced, and my real father took me under his wing. That's pretty much the story of my life." Remus stared at me for a few seconds, looking slightly disgusted, and I inched backwards, fearing the worst.

"That's disgusting!" I flinched, and got ready for the onslaught of insults that I thought would soon follow after his outburst. "How could they kick you out like that?" I blinked and stopped moving, staring at him closely for a few seconds before sighing with relief.

"I thought..." He glanced up at me, meeting my eyes for a second before I dropped my gaze to the stone floor.

"You thought...You thought I was saying that you were disgusting?" He seemed shocked, and a little bit angry, to be honest. "Leo, we're in pretty much the same situation here, just with different ailments. Why would I insult you if I didn't expect the same in return?" I stared at his feet for a few seconds before shrugging.

"Because everyone always has. Except for you, and Dumbledore. That's why I don't want to tell anyone, they'll hate me for what I was born as, something I have no choice over. I hate this!" I exclaimed quietly, swinging around and hitting the brick wall, lightly, but still hard enough to create a small crack in the stone. I could feel Remus staring at me, and I felt like crawling into a hole where no one could ever find me.

"You're strong. Have you ever thought about trying out as beater for the Gryffindor Quidditch team?" Remus asked quietly, and I could tell he was trying to take my mind off whatever I was angry about, for which I was grateful.

"Can't. It was one of Dumbledore's many requirements for me to be able to attend, said it would give whatever house I was in an unfair advantage. I think he always knew I'd be a Gryffindor." I told him with a dark chuckle, leaning my head against the wall lightly.

"You showed him how brave and chivalrous you are?" I laughed and shook my head at Remus' suggestion.

"No. I'm Leo, Leo means lion, lion is the sign for Gryffindor. Also, I was born in the star sign Leo, the lion. My mother must really have had a thing for lions. Strange, seeing as they were all Slytherin's, the dirty bastards." I could almost feel Remus' eyebrows raise from behind me.

"Wow...that's a lots of lions." He said with a weak chuckle, which I reciprocated.

"Yeah you're telling me." He stared at me again, and I knew what was coming.

"Leo...why did you start the fights?" I stared at him before blinking at him dumbly.

"Why do you think? I'm trying to keep them safe. To keep you all safe." His eyebrows crumpled in thought, but I knew he understood where I was coming from.

"They aren't going to give up on you." He stated, which was pretty much the obvious at this point.

"I know, but I've got to try."

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(A/N): Okay, so it drags a bit. Please review and/or check out my other stories!

Also, Leo's name in just full of puns. Once I decided on the name Leonides, with Leo as the nickname, I knew he was going to be Gryffindor, so I made him be born on August 15th, 1960, and he is therefore a Leo. Yeah, not very clever, but I still find it amusing. I'm not hating on Slytherin's or Christians in this chapter, seeing as I was sorted into Slytherin on Pottermore (though I was sorted into Gryffindor the first time in Pottermore, and Hufflepuff on a different sorting quiz), and while I may not be Christian, I'm agnostic, so I'm not going to hate all over your religion.

Hope you enjoyed this chapter!


	19. Protect

(A/N): Hey Guys! Ooh, I love this chapter. I'm already halfway through writing the next chapter, I have 560 words. Sorry I haven't updated, I've been pretty busy what with subject selection for year ten coming up. Seriously guys, I choose my lessons in exactly one week. I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Leo, Elaine, Quiggly and Nicholai.

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Leo

Time had passed, and it was the second Saturday of term, and it was at this time that Elaine had become more persistent in her searches for me. I had been avoiding her as best as I could, putting more effort into this than both James and Remus, but I knew she'd find me, probably sooner rather than later. The reason behind this was the fact that I had heard telling Lily she was going to hit me over the head with a shovel until I apologised, and also because I was doing this as much for her as I was for Lily. Unfortunately, after many near misses with Elaine, I had to sleep. I hadn't slept for days, so I was pretty much screwed. Yeah, I didn't have to sleep as often as everyone else, but I still had to sleep eventually. So, I headed up to the Gryffindor boys dorm, fell into my bed fully clothed, and fell asleep almost immediately.

When I woke up though, I winced, the light streaming through the window was shining in my eyes.

"No..." I groaned, pulling the covers over my head, and I heard people chuckling quietly. Great, I must have slept in late enough for the terrible foursome to wake up. My eyebrow crinkled, and I pulled the covers down enough to stick my nose out into the air, and sniffed quietly.

"I thought girls weren't allowed into the boys' dormitories, Folley." I called, and the chuckling stopped abruptly.

"I honestly thought you couldn't last a week without talking to Lily, Joannis." I sat up, pulling the covers off me, and I was immediately embarrassed as the boys laughed at the mess that my hair had become through the night.

"Wasn't that hard, to tell you the truth." _It was torture._ I hate every second of this, but it's for their safety. I stood, and Elaine raised an eyebrow as she saw the fact that I was still wearing shoes.

"Yeah, because the fact that you're still wearing school robes on a _Sunday_ isn't insight enough." She said with a slight smile, and I scowled at her, making the smile drop.

"Oh haha, very funny." I gestured for her to turn around, but she shook her head. "Okay, stay there then while I drop my pants." She blushed furiously before turning around, leaving me shaking my head. I gestured with my head almost indistinctly to Remus, and he grabbed James and Sirius' arms, dragging them out.

"Some on guys, let's go to breakfast." I heard him say, and I glanced at Elaine's back for a few seconds before starting to get changed into something more weekend-y.

"You can turn around now." I told her quietly, and she did, blinking as I pulled a worn, red knit sweater over the light green t-shirt I wore underneath. I also wore a pair of blue jeans and had changed my black leather school shoes for a pair of comfortable running shoes.

"Listen Leo-" I cut her off shaking my head.

"Whatever you have to say, I've already heard it." I tried to get past her, and make a break for the door, but she was quicker than I expected, and had blocked the doorway with her body. I could move her, but not without hurting her, and I would _not_ do that. I rolled my eyes and sighed in resignation, sinking down onto the bed closest to the door, which was Sirius's, looking up at her.

"I'm not here about that." She said, taking a cautious step away from the door, obviously afraid of was going to make a run for it. She slowly took steps towards me before sitting on the bed next to me.

"Then why _are_ you here?" I asked, picking at the covers with my fingers to avoid her eyes. I blinked, startled, as her fingers touched my cheek, bringing my head up so she could look me in the eye.

"Just to _be_ here for you." I blinked again, before pulling her hand away from my face, holding it secure in mine instead.

"I don't need someone to be here for me, I'm _fine_." Elaine rolled her eyes, and I glared at her. "What?"

"Oh, you don't need anyone, yet you've been avoiding your best friend for over a week, which means something is clearly wrong!" I stood abruptly, her hand still clenched in mine, and stared down at her.

"You want to know what's wrong?" she nodded eagerly, biting her lower lip as she waited for the answer. "Me. I'm what's wrong." She stared up at me, perplexed, before following me and rising into a standing position.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I glanced at the floor, avoiding her eyes again. "Hey." She said quietly, leaning down to look into my eyes again, directed to the floor as they were. "Tell me." I froze for a second, mulling it over.

"I can't." She opened her mouth to speak, but I shook my head. "I can't. You'll think...you'll...you'll hate me." I whispered, moving further away slightly. "You'll think...that I'm, a monster." Tears were starting to burn behind my eyes, but I didn't let them fall. Elaine stared at me for a second before pulling me in again, using the hand still encased in mine, wrapping her arms around in a tight hug.

"Whatever it is, I won't think you're a monster, and I certainly won't hate you for it!" She told me, her face buried into my shoulder, and I felt a hot, wet tear drip through my sweater, through my t-shirt and onto my skin. I hastily pulled her closer after that, wrapping my arms around her waist, wanting her to know, foolishly, that I still cared even after my fights over the past few days.

Screw protecting them from me, I had to protect them from everything else!

"Elaine?" I whispered, pulling her closer, knowing that soon enough she would push me away.

"What?" She asked, and I drew in a breath before saying it.

"I'm half-vampire."

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(A/N): Haha! So, he finally told someone other than Remus! The aftermath of this is in the next chapter, which is from Elaine's PoV.

Please review and/or check out my other stories!


	20. Pity party breakfast

(A/N): Hey Guys! So, yeah, I actually finished this chapter about a half hour after the last one, but I haven't uploaded it until now. I hope you like it!

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Leo, Elaine, Quiggly and Nicholai.

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Elaine

I froze in his arms, shocked and stunned, before pushing him away.

"What?" I exclaimed, shocked, and he took a step back, seemingly frightened of my tone. Then I remembered what he had said, _'You'll hate me...You'll think that I'm a monster.'_ Instantly, I backpedalled.

"I didn't mean it like that, Leo, I really didn't." He backed up even further, so I grabbed his arm, pulling him into another tight hug, but this time he didn't wrap his arms around me.

"How could you not? I'm a monster, Elaine, just look at me!" He pushed me back slightly, his hands wrapped loosely around my upper arms, and I stared at him, trying to find the monstrous quality he seemed to think he had.

"You don't look like a monster to me. I was just...surprised." I winced at the lameness of the word before it hit me. "That was why you started the fight, wasn't it? So you wouldn't have to tell Lily?" Now it was his turn to wince.

"No, it wasn't so I wouldn't have to tell her, which I never will," He added hastily. "it's because I didn't want you guys to get hurt by being close to me. Any of you." I blinked before slapping him on the arm.

"Do you honestly think that Lily would care either way? No! Think about it Leo, I've known you less than two weeks and I don't care, Lily has known you for months!" He shook his head into my shoulder, and I fought back a blush. So what, I had a crush on my best friend who had just told me he was a vampire, doesn't everyone?

"Besides, you guys have an _insane_ connection, remember?" I asked softly, and his lips quirked up in the corner.

"Thanks Izzy." I furrowed my eyebrows at the new nickname before he grinned at me, which i happily reciprocated.

"By the way, does anyone else know?" Leo looked off to the side before shaking his head, and I raised an eyebrow. "That's a lie, you just lied!" I told him, and he raised his eyebrows,

"How did you know?" I started to answer before shaking my head.

"Now, now, if I tell you that, you'll find a way to stop doing it, and I'll never be able to tell if you're lying." He mock-glared at me before twirling me in a circle, holding my feet off the ground, and for a second I was amazed at his strength. "So, who knows?" He glanced at me for a second, confused before nodding.

"Ah, Remus knows, Dumbledore knows, Madam Pomfrey and Professor McGonagall know as well." I raised an eyebrow, surprised.

'So how come Remus got to know before I did?" I asked jokingly, and he paused for a second before shaking his head.

"Can't tell you, best same-gender-friend confidentiality." I chuckled quietly before shaking my head.

"So, would you tell Leo the reason why you told Remus first, seeing as she's your best non-same-gender-friend?" He thought about it for a second before shaking his head.

"I don't know, you two are both sort of on equal ground now." I froze for a second, staring blankly for a minute before snapping my head up to look him in the eye, grinning.

"Really?" I asked quietly, though the excitement I felt probably still could be heard in my voice.

"Really." I smiled proudly for a second before pulling it off my face as I thought.

"Are you still going to keep avoiding me now that I know?" I said, stepping away slightly, staring at the ground. I battled a blush as his fingers made contact with my chin, tilting my head up with a smile.

"Of course not. If you know why I'm avoiding you, it doesn't really work, because you know it's not just because we had a fight." I nodded slowly before glancing up at him.

"What are you going to do about Lily?" I asked quietly, and he shook his head slowly.

"I don't know." He admitted. "I don't want to avoid her anymore, but I can't put her in danger." I rolled my eyes at him.

"Leo, she wouldn't care. Besides, I don't think you'll hurt us." I held up a hand to stop him as he tried to interrupt, and he closed his mouth. "Dumbledore wouldn't have let you into the school if he didn't believe you were in control enough not to go on a rampage and slaughter everyone in sight. And, the sorting hat placed you in Gryffindor, not Slytherin." He snorted quietly, shaking his head.

"You really don't like Slytherin's, do you?" I bit my lip to hide a smile before shaking my head.

"Of course not, they're a bunch of slimy gits!" he smiled at me and turned towards the stairs for a second before turning back to look at me, his eyes narrowed slightly, as if he were unsure about something.

"To breakfast?" he asked, holding out a hand to me, and I nodded before taking it, blushing slightly as I did do, hoping he wouldn't notice it.

Of course he would notice it; all vampires could sense blood flow.

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As we reached the Great hall, he let go of my hand, but still walked beside me, so I wasn't too worried. I watched him to know where he would choose to sit, and, to my surprise, he headed straight towards Lily. I sat down on one side of her, and she smiled at me, nodding her head in greeting, and I grinned at Leo from over her head, making her face scrunch up in confusion before he sat down next to her. She froze, staring at me in shock, before turning around slowly, only to see Leo, her best friend who had vowed never to talk to her again, sitting there with half a sausage in his mouth.

"Leo?" She asked breathily, and he nodded at her silently before smiling slightly, looking worried, as if she were about to tackle him out of his seat and maul him. Well, the tackling out of the seat part was accurate, but instead of mauling him, she hugged him. "Leo!" she exclaimed, causing everyone in the immediate area to turn to look at them, perplexed for a second before smiling at the sight of the two friends reuniting.

"You talked to him!" She said to me, grinning at me from her position on the floor, arms wrapped around his torso.

"Yeah, but this was his choice." I said, and she glanced at me for a second, her smile growing wider before she hugged him tighter.

"Okay Lils, as much as I missed you, my back's starting to hurt." Leo groaned, and Lily hugged him tighter.

"You didn't call me Evans!" She exclaimed into his shoulder before letting him go, and he pulled her back into her chair as he sat in his, returning to his half-eaten breakfast.

It seems all was well again. Until the next time Leo decides to have a pity-party and convince himself he's going to kill everyone, that is.

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(A/N): So, Elaine has a crush on Leo, huh? Also, how does she know that vampires can sense when people blush? And Leo and Lily are friends again, yay! Ooh, more soon!

Please review and/or check out my other stories!


	21. Replacement

(A/N): Hey Guys! So, this chapter may seem like a filler, but I need it to introduce the detention in the next chapter. I hope you like it, it's the third chapter I written today.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Leo, Elaine, Quiggly and Nicholai.

* * *

Lily

I can't believe Leo is back! He's not avoiding me anymore, but he still won't tell me anything, it's so frustrating. Elaine won't tell me what they talked about that made him come back to me, and when I asked Remus if he knew anything, he just stuttered something about needing to talk to someone named 'Blue' before telling me anything. What the hell is going on, are they is some kind of secret sect or something?

Since I haven't seen Sev in almost two days, I decided to go and visit him after breakfast. Of course, this didn't end very well, because Potter and Black were assaulting him again. I'd had enough! Why did they need to pick on Sev, he wasn't doing anything wrong as far as I could tell. Then again, sometimes Sev could have a bit of a smart-mouth attitude, and could say things that offended people. Two people on one though? It just wasn't fair.

"Hey!" I called out, and the two boys stopped immediately, though Potter's fingers immediately jumped to his hair as he recognised the voice, causing me to roll my eyes in disgust. "Stop bullying Sev, what did he ever do to you?" Sirius backed up a step, and I knew I could be rather intimidating if mad, Leo had said so a few times.

"Well, he called my mother a wench!" I raised an eyebrow and looked at Sev.

"Did you?" I asked, and he shook his head, too quickly.

"No!" Potter's head snapped around and he growled, an actual growl, at Sev.

"Don't try to deny it! You said that my mother was a wench and my father was a moron!" Sev shook his head again, and I rolled my eyes before waving my wand, sending them all into silence.

"Look, Sev, don't insult people's parents, Potter, Black, don't attack Sev or I'll sic Leo on you." Remus, Potter, Black and Sev all raised their eyebrows in surprise.

"He apologised?" Remus asked and i nodded.

"Yeah, you didn't see me tackle him at breakfast?" I asked curiously, to which he shook his head.

"No, we arrived a left a little earlier than usual, seeing as we got their earlier. I knew Elaine talked to Leo, but I didn't know what about, I had to drag these idiots," He gestured to James and Sirius when he said idiots affectionately. "Out so they wouldn't eavesdrop on their conversation." I raised an eyebrow before shaking my head.

"Of course you did. Do you know why he started the fight?" Remus shrugged, looking uncomfortable, before starting to walk away, pulling Potter and Black with him. The anger bubbled inside me and I reached out grabbing Remus' arm.

"You tell me lupin, or I swear to god I will, make your life a living hell." I growled, and all four boys watching on flinched, including Sev.

"Oh believe me Lily, I'm sure Leo could do worse if I told you." I stomped my foot in frustration and threw a punch, and that's when Professor McGonagall walked around the corner.

"Miss Evans, Mister Lupin, come with me." She glanced at the other boys before flicking her wand, at them to reverse the spell I had cast on them. I glanced at Remus both apologetically and angrily as he rubbed the side of his face from where my blow had connected with his skin.

We were silent all the way to McGonagall's office, and when we got there, she told us to take a seat.

"Now, would one of you please tell me what happened?" Remus and I glanced between each other before I spoke up.

"Well, I walked around the corner to find Sirius Black and James Potter assaulting Severus again, and I went to stick up for him. I asked Remus a question, he refused to answer it, I threatened him a little, he refused again, I got frustrated and hit him just as you walked around the corner." She raised an eyebrow before glancing at Remus who nodded.

"That's what happened Professor." She looked between us a few times before raising an eyebrow.

"What was this question about, or should I ask _who_ this question was about?" Remus and I shared guilty looks.

"Well, it was about Leonides, mam. You know how Lily and he were fighting? Well, Lily asked me if I knew why he had started the fight, and I said I didn't know, and you know the rest." She looked slightly sceptical, but also rather amused.

"Do you believe he's lying Miss Evans?" She asked, staring me in the eye, and I reluctantly nodded.

"I do mam."

"And why do you think so?" She asked, causing me to glance at Remus before looking back to her.

"Because he's Leo's best male friend, they share a dorm and he seemed to know how Leo would react to the situation." Professor McGonagall nodded slowly before announcing her verdict.

"Miss Evans, detention tonight, six 'o clock, Mr Lupin you are free to go, but tell your friends Mr Potter and Mr Black that their detentions are also at six o' clock." I winced as I realised I would be sharing detention with them, but otherwise stayed quiet while Remus and I left her office.

"I'm sorry Remus, I thought you were lying." I admitted to him quietly, and he shrugged.

"That's because I was lying." He said, before speeding off down a different corridor. So, he does know why Leo started the fight. And...it's fairly safe to assume...that Elaine knows too.

Is Leo replacing me?

* * *

(A/N): Does anyone else sometimes feel like slapping Lily? I do.

Please review and/or check out my other stories!

Also, I would like to thank _the22thdoctor _for reviewing this story, along with all my other reviewers.


	22. Detention, Taco's and Secrets

(A/N): Hey Guys! So, I'm considering splitting this story into separate ones per year, seeing as we're only like, a week or two into first year and I already have twenty-two chapters. Also, only five days, three school days, till I have to pick my lessons for year ten, and apparently I'm going to be in advanced science and advanced maths, even though I chose medium classes in both those lessons. Also, big news.

I actually started writing my book today! It has over 3,000 words and five pages! Yay, go me!

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Leo, Quiggly, Nicholai, Elaine and Elaine's new nickname that shall be revealed later in this chappie!

* * *

Lily

I sighed in frustration as I rushed out of Professor McGonagall's classroom in a huff, eager to be away from Potter and Black. Of course, since we were all going back to the Gryffindor common room, they rushed after me, managing to keep pace with me, which, in hindsight, wasn't that incredible seeing as they were both a few inches taller than me.

"Oh come on Evans, it wasn't that bad." Potter said, and I gritted my teeth, biting back a harsh reply.

"Yeah Lily, at least we weren't we Slughorn, he makes us clean out the slug tank!" Sirius told me animatedly, which startled a smile onto my lips. Why was he trying to be so nice? Usually he'd be trying to tease me, but today he just seemed...un-interested.

"Everyone knows that Sirius, that's why he's called _Slug_horn in the first place." James joked, and I had to bite my bottom lip to hold back a laugh. I would not laugh in front of him, I would not laugh in front of him, I would not laugh...

"It's either that or because he smells like he bathes in them!" A quiet, bell-like peal of laughter burst from my lips, and the boys both froze in their tracks. I rolled my eyes, regretting the laughter, trying to speed up, but finding that my legs couldn't make me move any faster without breaking into a run.

"Was that a laugh?" I heard Sirius ask, and I almost groaned.

"I think it was. We just made Lily Evans laugh!" He announced this as if it were a huge feat, as if he had just defeated a fully-grown mountain troll.

"Oh shut up!" I yelled over my shoulder, and in that second, I saw Professor McGonagall standing in her doorway, watching after us amusedly.

"Make us!" James and Sirius chorused, and I could hear their footsteps again, louder this time, faster. They must be running to catch up with me.

"One wrong step, and don't think I won't." I told them as they caught up with me, panting slightly.

"Aw Lils, you wouldn't, you love us too much." Sirius teased, and part of me wanted to roll my eyes, but the other half was silently glad that he was back to teasing me instead of playing nice.

"Don't call me that, only Leo gets to call me cute nicknames. It's our _thing_, just like you two being gits is your thing." I joked as we reached the Gryffindor common room.

"God-like Godric. My god we need a new password, who makes these things up?" I remarked to the boys, and the Fat Lady seemed a little bit put out.

"I do!" She wailed, and I tried to backpedal and apologise, but she wouldn't stop crying and...

"Excuse me miss, but I think it's the perfect password. Godric honours the brave and chivalrous by putting them in his house, so is he any less than god-like. What Lily was trying to say was, the password shouldn't be God-like Godric, because you are the true god here, or should I say...goddess?" James told her, quickly paving over my slip-up and flattering her in the process. The Fat Lady blushed and smiled before giggling quietly.

"Well...thank you. You may go in, dears." The portrait swung open, and the three of us entered the common room. I saw Leo, Elaine and Remus on the couch, talking, but almost as soon as we walked in, they stood and started to leave.

"Where are you going?" I asked as they went to walk past us, and Leo replied strangely, sounding almost shy.

"We were going to the library to study...did you want to come with us?" I glanced at them before thinking back to the assignments we needed to complete.

"Nah, I've finished all the assignments I need to. You guys go ahead, have fun!" I called after them as they exited through the still open portrait hole, feeling slightly left out.

"It's okay Evans, you can hang out with us if you like." Potter told me with a smirk, and I growled, shaking my head before rushing up the stairs to the girls dormitory.

* * *

Leo

We weren't going to the Library, we were going to the room of requirement.

"Alright now, close your eyes." They obeyed somewhat cautiously, and I paced the wall three times quickly, using vampire speed, imagining what I wanted to be in there. "You can open them again." I said, only a split second later, and they opened their eyes, looking slightly confused for a second before seeing the door.

"Where the hell did that door come from?" Elaine asked quietly, with a hint of fear in her voice.

"Is this one of those 'secrets of Hogwarts' you talk so much about?" Remus asked, and I rolled my eyes.

"Yes Moons, it is one of those. This is the room of Requirement, you think what you want to be in there, and it is." Elaine nodded before frowning.

"Hey, how come you two have nicknames for each other, and I don't?" She asked, sounding rather put out at this occurrence. I shared a look with Remus to which he nodded, and we started circling her, studying her intently as if we were fitting her for a pair of new robes, not a nickname.

"How about Koi? Like the fish, but it also sounds like the word coy." I shook my head, and so did Elaine, vigorously.

"Joy?" We shook our heads again and he continued inspecting her.

"Loy...al. Loyal?" We both raised eyebrows at him and he shrugged.

"So what, I like three letter words with 'oi' at the end." We stared at him for a minute before I shook my head again.

"How about Damsel?" I suggested, and Elaine's head snapped over to me before she shook it vigorously, to which I only grinned and nodded.

"No, no, uh uh Leo, I am not a Damsel!" My grin widened and I shook my head before brushing a lock of hair off her face absent-mindedly.

"Yes you are, but you're my Damsel." I told her quietly, and I could tell she was trying to hold back a blush.

"Aw, now, if you two are done being all couple-y, can we get this done? I'm Moony, he's Blue, and Elaine is Damsel-" Elaine stomped his foot at this but Remus continued, though both of us were also now blushing from his proclamation that we were acting couple-y. "So now that we have the 'cool nicknames' part of this sorted, can we get on with the me telling Elaine my secret?" He said this slightly testily, and Elaine and I shared a look before shrugging. I turned and pushed the door to the Room of Requirement open and held it open for Remus and then Elaine. I let the door slip shut behind me, and found myself in exactly what I had imagined.

We were in a humongous library, so i guess we weren't exactly lying when we told Lily we were going to the Library, with rows upon rows of book cases. There were three tables in the middle of the first row, two empty and the middle one having three plates of tacos. Yes, tacos. Turns out, all three of us have a common love for tacos. Who woulda thunk it?

"So, tell me," Elaine said after taking her first bite of one of her three tacos. "Why did Remes here get to know before me?"

* * *

(A/N): So, what do you think? Does Leo reciprocate Elaine's crush on him? Does Elaine _really_ hate her new nickname or is he just playing? How will Elaine react to Remus' secret?

Please Review and/or check out my other stories!


	23. Reveal and Research

(A/N): Hey Guys! So, here's the next chapter. I would like to thank all my old reviewers, plus my new reviewer: Blue Luver5000. Thank you all for the lovely reviews and constructive criticism. Also, not to do with this story, I'm trying to start writing a Maximum Ride/Stick It crossover, because Fang from Maximum Ride and Hayley from Stick It are like, my all time two favourite characters, and Stick It is my favourite movie of all time. Again, on an unrelated note, I have tomorrow, the next day, and then the day after that, Wednesday, I have to choose my classes for year 10. Gah, so nervous!

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Leo, Elaine, Nicholai, Quiggly and the children Leo has that I have already named. (Yah, I'm that creepy people [Seriously, him and his wife are like, my OTP now. {I thought about them _almost_ dying earlier and it made me cry.}])

* * *

Remus

This was it. I was about to tell someone, someone that didn't already know, or hadn't figured it out by my scent, what I was.

"I...I'm...I'm a werewolf." I whispered, growing quieter towards the end, and I saw Elaine stiffen slightly.

"Elaine?" I heard Leo ask gently, and she shook her head quietly. I slumped down in my seat slightly, trying to hide, even after Leo sent me a reassuring look.

"It's nothing against you, Remus." Elaine whispered, staring at the table before her eyes met mine, and I saw that there were tears in her eyes. "It's just that... last year, my uncle was killed by a werewolf." Well, that explained her reaction. "I know that you aren't like them, but it's still kind of...a shock. I mean, I was taught that Werewolves – and vampires- were evil monsters," Both Leo and I winced at this. "But after meeting you two, I'd have to disagree. You two are some of the nicest people I've ever met," Leo now raised an eyebrow.

"You don't know a lot of people do you?" She rolled her eyes at his playfully, and I smiled slightly. Oh god you two, just hurry up and make out already.

"What I was going to finish that sentence with was, 'as long as you don't get on your bad sides.'" Leo and I smiled at each other before wrapping her tightly in a sort of group hug, Leo on one side, Elaine in the middle, and me on the other. It was nice, comforting. At least she didn't hate me.

"So...how did you figure out Remmy was a werewolf?" I glanced at Leo, raising an eyebrow.

"Scent. He smells like a dog, mixed with a pine tree." I smirked at him as he thought deeply, and Elaine lowered her head to sniff my forearm.

"He does smell like a pine tree!" Leo and I stared at her, amused, until she blushed furiously at her exclamation. "Well he does." She grumbled, and Leo and I shared a look.

"You know, when I was little, only one person didn't outright hate vampires and werewolves, he just thought they were...misrepresented. Ironically, he was also the one killed by a werewolf, which had, at the time, cemented my hatred of them. He told me that...the transformation...was very...painful. Is that true?" I winced, and glanced at the table, trying to avoid her gaze before sucking in a deep breath and answering.

"You could definitely say that." I mumbled, and she nodded slowly before sharing a look with Leo.

"I want to help." My head snapped up, and I'm pretty sure I looked almost comically confused.

"_We_ want to help." Piped up, and Elaine smiled at him slightly. I must tell you though, while I had pulled out of the hug, and was sitting on my own chair, Leo still had his arms wrapped around Elaine's waist, her back against his chest, her face flushed slightly.

"How?" I asked quietly, and Elaine thought about it for a second, biting her lip, and I could see Leo staring at her from the corner of my eye. He knew I could see him, there's no way he couldn't, but I didn't dare look at him, because he wouldn't have cared if I did.

"Well...we could become animagi." I raised both my eyebrows, choking on my own spit, my eyes wide, but Leo simply raised one eyebrow.

"I don't even know if I can. Can vampires do that?" I shrugged, how the hell would I know?

"Technically, you're a half vampire, so probably." Elaine replied, moving her head to the side slightly so that it rested against his head, on his shoulder.

"You guys, you can't do that. Not for me. It's too dangerous, and difficult. You're first years for gods sakes!" Elaine raised an eyebrow at me challengingly.

"You've see us fight, Remus, what makes you think we're not capable?" I blinked and slunk down a little in my chair at the deathly note in her voice before giving in under the weight of their challenging glares.

"Alright, alright! Just don't kill me in my sleep and we'll be fine." Elaine and Leo angled their heads to grin at each other before realising their proximity, blushing, and moving away from each other clearing their throats, embarrassed. I was amused for a second before realising what I had just done.

"Dammit, how do you do that?" I accused Elaine, and Leo, causing them to shrug cheekily.

"We're just that little bit more scary than you, Lulu." Elaine told me cheekily, before heading off down one of the aisles, Leo in tow. I sighed deeply, letting my eyes fall shut for a minute before standing up to follow them.

Ten minutes later was when Leo smacked himself on the forehead so hard that Elaine and I jumped.

"I'm an idiot." He scolded, shaking his head.

"While I agree with that, may I ask what you did this time?" He glared at me lightly before closing his eyes, and suddenly, a large, teetering pile of books appeared, spread out upon the two remaining tables.

"The Room of Requirement gives us what we ask for right?" Elaine and I glanced at each other before nodding, wondering what he was getting at. "Well, why didn't I just ask for the books on Animagi instead of going to look for them manually?" He gestured to the pile of books, and Elaine and I raised our eyebrows.

"That's a lot of books, Blue." Elaine stated, and I could see Leo wanted to roll his eyes.

"Yes, but now I have to narrow it down." He closed his eyes again, and more than half the books disappeared. "That's all the books that only mention Animagi, these are the ones that have more information about how to become one, and what the advantages and disadvantages are." He took a seat at the table on the left, closest to the door, which now held all the books, before patting the seats next to him, gesturing for us to sit, and get started.

It was going to be a long night.

* * *

(A/N): So, what do you think? I didn't know if vampires, or technically, half-vampires could become animagi, so I'm going to make it rather difficult for him.

Please review and/or check out my other stories!


	24. Someone's been sleeping in my bed

(A/N): Hey Guys! So, two chapters in one night huh? Pretty cool yeah? Okay, so, this chapter should actually be called 'the chapter with so many line breaks it's practically dotted'. Get it? Okay, so the title should become clear by the end of the chapter. Thanks to all my reviewers, and the readers who aren't reviewing!

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Leo, Elaine, Nicholai and Quiggly.

* * *

Elaine

I wanted to help Remus, but I also wanted to help myself. I had spent my life so far being prejudiced against those different from me, primarily Vampires and Werewolves, two of which were now my best friends. I wanted to make up for it, I wanted to make up for any bad thought I'd had about their kinds, because it really wasn't their faults. Remus was bitten, and Leo was born like it, and I couldn't hold that against them, now could I?

"Word of warning: Don't get stabbed in Animagus form." Remus said tiredly, and I snickered.

"Well that isn't the most obvious thing I've heard all night." Leo stated, and even he sounded tired.

"What time is it anyway?" I asked with a yawn, and Leo went to check his watch, his eyes widening.

"Six o' clock." Remus and I sat bolt upright, staring at him.

"Oh god no!" We cried at the same time, and I slammed my head onto the table once or twice before glaring at the ceiling.

"You just love to hurt me, don't you?" I asked no one, and Leo stared at me amusedly.

"Come on, we should go down for breakfast. I'll even show you how to get to the kitchens so we can have as much coffee as we want." I grinned at him tiredly, and Remus raised an eyebrow.

"You know where the kitchens are?" Leo looked over his shoulder to roll his eyes.

"Of course I know where the kitchens are. By the way, neither of you have asked me what I do for food." Remus and I glanced at each other before wincing slightly.

"What do you do for food then, Blue?" Remus asked, and Leo smiled slightly.

"Mainly raw steak, and every week I have to go to the Hospital wing to drink a vial of human blood." I shivered slightly, and his smile dropped slightly, but he tried not to make it obvious.

"I've never had blood directly from the human though. Hell, the only reason I do have it is so that I don't feel the temptation as much." I tried to hold back another shiver, but I knew Leo could sense it when he winced slightly.

"It isn't that bad, really. At least you don't turn into a raving monster every full moon and try to kill everyone in sight." Remus grumbled, and Leo smiled at him slightly.

"You really know how to cheer a guy up Moony." And with that, we were off to the kitchens for breakfast.

* * *

Lily

When I woke up to get ready for a day at school, I immediately became worried. Elaine's bed was empty, and even though she was an early riser, she usually either waited for me to wake up or woke me up herself before we headed down to breakfast together, but her bed was empty, and already made, just as it had been last night. Something wasn't right.

"Alice, did you see Elaine get up?" I asked the petite girl who was getting ready on the other side of the room, who shrugged.

"Nope, she was gone when I woke up." I furrowed my eyebrows before throwing back the covers to start getting ready.

* * *

Not twenty minutes later, I was at the door to Leo's dorm, staring a half naked James Potter in the face. He was wearing pants, but nothing else, and I refused to blush at the sight.

"Is Leo or Remus in there?" Potter's eyebrows furrowed, and he rubbed his head, not through wanting to mess up his hair, but because he was still half-asleep, before turning around, searching the room for the two boys I had mentioned.

"Nooo..." He stretched out the word as he yawned. "I don't think they came in last night, their beds are still made, and usually Leo leaves that until after breakfast, when he comes back here to pick up his bag." He turned to look behind him again. "That's not here either. Maybe they've been kidnapped." He mumbled before turning around, walking back to his bed and flopping down on it face first, already snoring loudly. I rolled my eyes, more than slightly amused, before closing the door quietly and heading down to the Great hall for breakfast, still worried about my friends.

* * *

Entering the Great hall, I sat down at the Gryffindor table, searching for the three with my eyes. They weren't there, and I was starting to get really worried. Okay, so where could they be?

"Hey Lils." Well, I guess there's that question answered. Leo sat down next to me, and he looked really tired. In fact, so did Elaine and Remus, who had sat down across from us.

"Morning. So, why didn't you three come to bed last night?" They raised their eyebrows at us.

"No offense Lils, but you aren't my mother. Thank god." He muttered the last bit under his breath, and I was a little taken-aback. Leo had never been so grumpy in the morning, it was like, his favourite time of the day. I didn't take it to heart though, once again noticing how tired they all looked.

"Fine, don't tell me. I was just worried about you three, that's all." Leo's gaze softened slightly, and he grabbed my hand under the table, not looking at me as to not draw attention. I smiled slightly before starting to eat my food before looking up, realising that the other three weren't eating.

"Why aren't you eating?" I asked curiously, and they shrugged.

"We already ate." I raised an eyebrow, but let it drop, not wanting to start a fight over such trivial matters as when they had breakfast.

"So...did you have a good time in the Library?" Remus spat out the coffee he had been drinking, and started coughing, only to have Elaine roll her eyes and smack him on the back, _hard_.

"It went well." Leo said nonchalantly, and I knew he was lying. It was kind of obvious, especially after Remus had just spat his coffee all over the table.

"Scourgify." Elaine muttered, and the coffee was immediately cleaned off the table with a flick of her wand. "We didn't quite find the information we wanted, so we had to pull an all-nighter, hiding from Madam Pince the whole time." She explained, rolling her eyes slightly.

"For someone so young, she acts so _old._" Leo commented, and Remus almost spat out his coffee again, this time in amusement.

"Wait, how did you know we didn't come back last night?" Remus asked, suddenly serious.

"Well, I asked Alice about Elaine, seeing as she was up before me and, well...I may have asked Potter whether you two had returned last night." I could see Leo was trying to hold back laughter, so I smacked him lightly on the shoulder. "He was half-asleep, and when he stopped talking to me, he turned around, feel back on his bed and fell asleep instantly." Remus' eyebrows furrowed.

"Was that the bed closest to the door?" I nodded, curious as to what he was getting at, and Remus groaned while Leo started laughing outright.

"Ugh, that's my bed!"

* * *

(A/N): So, along with chocolate, Remus seems to have developed a love for taco's and coffee in this story. He is a seriously unhealthy young man, isn't he?

Please review and/or check out my other stories!


	25. Threats and Promises

(A/N): Hey Guys! So, this is pretty much a short filler chapter, but eh. I had a day off today, because I feel like crap, and tomorrow I have another day off until two p.m where I had to go have a meeting with the school councillor or whatever for my subject selections. Yeah, not looking forward to that.

By the way guys, thanks for all the reviews you've been sending me lately!

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Leo, Elaine, Nicholai and Quiggly.

* * *

Leo

It had been a month and a half since we had started our first year at Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and I think Lily was getting more suspicious day by day as Elaine, Remus and I spent more time together, out of the public eye in the Room of Requirement, researching Animagi. We had hit a break through today though. We had finally found out, after over a month of research, that half-vampires like me could become Animagi. One example of this was Vladimir Dracula, or Vlad the Impaler, who was one of the most famous vampires in existence, was also an early animagus, being able to turn into a bat. God, I hope I don't turn into a bat! Or a lion for that matter.

"So...what do you think my animal form will be?" Elaine asked quietly, glancing up from the book she was reading, looking slightly nervous.

"A kitty?" I suggested wryly, and she smiled slightly before punching me in the shoulder.

"How about a snake?" Remus asked, and Elaine shook her head furiously, cringing.

"Eugh, no, just...no." I grinned at her reaction, now I had blackmail. Elaine crosses me, I get her a pet snake.

"What about a wolverine?" She thought about it for a second, one eyebrow raised.

"Why?" I shrugged before thinking it over.

"Well...wolverine's are supposed to be tough, but at first glance, because of their size, they don't really look that threatening, just like you." Her eyebrows furrowed together, and she glared at me lightly.

"I don't know whether to be flattered or insulted." I could see Remus shaking his head from across the table, laughing silently, and smiled myself.

"Well, I meant it as the truth, so you can take it whichever way you want to." She paused for a second before smiling uncertainly.

"Thanks, I guess..." I grinned at her before tapping her on the shoulder with my knuckles lightly.

"Or hey, maybe you're a horse!" She grinned, a small, bell-like peal of laughter bubbling from between her lips as she smacked me on the arm twice.

"I think I'd take your kitty suggestion over a horse." I grabbed her hands, pushing them away slightly to get her to stop slapping me. Seriously, I was going to bruise. I was very fragile, you know.

"Perhaps a scorpion?" Remus suggested, and we stopped for a second, staring at each other before slowly turning to face him.

"What's with you and creepy animals?" Elaine asked, and I smothered a chuckle.

"Or is it like your obsession with words that end with 'oy'?" I added, and he rolled his eyes at us both.

"Yeah, I'll go ahead and ignore that, just like I'm ignoring the fact that you two are currently holding hands." We both glanced down at our hands, which were, as he said, still intertwined, and instantly dropped them looking sheepish.

"Yeah, I thought so." Remus remarked, and I glared at him from across the table, to which he had the gall to smile. "You know Leo, you aren't as scary as you try to make out." Elaine raised her eyebrows and turned to look at me.

"Are you just going to sit there and take that? Kick his ass." She joked, and I rolled my eyes at her, letting an amused smile spread.

"Trust me, wolf-boy, I could make your life a living hell if I wanted to." Remus raised his eyebrows, and Elaine made a 'oh no you didn't' face at him.

"Is that a threat?" I smirked at him.

"No Moony, that's a promise."

* * *

(A/N): Okay, does anyone here watch _Mrs Brown's Boys_? 'Cos I do, and I said, and read, Leo's last line there in the irish accent of one Buster Brady from the show. Anyone else?

Please review and/or check out my other stories!

P.S: If you have any input on what Elaine or Leo's animagus forms should be, please, tell me.


	26. Abuse and Surprise

(A/N): Hey Guys! So, here's the next chapter, it's a lot longer than the last one, thank god. Thank you for the reviews! I just checked, and there was another one, so thank you! And, I must ask, Blue Luver5000, what made you pick a cheetah and a penguin? Though, what i have read up on about Cheetah and Penguin spirit animals sounds pretty accurate, I must say. Thank you guys!

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Elaine, Leo, Nicholai and Quiggly.

* * *

Leo

Perhaps half an hour after our last conversation about animagus forms, I decided to speak up.

"So, what do you think my animagus form will be?" I asked quietly, and the other two looked interested.

"I don't know. Maybe a bear?" Remus suggested, and Elaine and I shared a look before starting to clap slowly in unison.

"Well done Moony, you made a contribution that isn't super, super creepy!" Elaine told him, to which he rolled his eyes.

"Well, they're strong and fast, and have powers of strategic thinking. You lead with courage, integrity and compassion, don't you?" I shook my head.

"No, not really." He rolled his eyes at me.

"Now is no time to be modest. Let's face it, the only thing you have more of than courage is loyalty." Elaine's eyes brightened.

"Which, would of course, indicate the Wolf totem. They believe in family, or friends, come first. They also have strength and stamina, along with stealth, hunting ability and enhanced senses. Sounds like you to a tee." I fought off a blush, and shook my head lightly.

"Okay, changing the subject. Anyone found anything important?" Both Remus and Elaine looked amused, and upon seeing this I averted my gaze, hiding my emotions from them, something I had learned to do when I was younger. I had often needed to hide my emotions around my mother and 'father', whether it be when I had hurt myself, or when they had company over and expected me to behave, I had eventually taught myself to mask my emotions, rather than face the rather severe consequences my parents would have exacted if I didn't.

"I'll...go get us some more food..." Moony said quietly, and walked out. I knew it was a lie, I mean, we were in the Room of requirement, which could provide food for us, and Moony still had a little trouble getting to the kitchens as it was, but I let him go. If Elaine wanted to talk to me, there really was no stopping her.

"Leo..." She said quietly, and I almost winced at the pitying tone in her voice.

"What?" I asked, keeping my voice blank as she moved her chair until it was right beside mine.

"You don't need to hide from me." I resisted the urge to blink in surprise. How had she known?

"I'm fine Elaine, there's nothing to hide." I could feel her raise an eyebrow at me when she placed a hand on my shoulder.

"Leo..." She said again, in the same pitying voice, but this time it hid an edge of frustration and curiosity.

"Whaaat?" I asked, trying to make out like I was annoyed at her, even though I wasn't.

"Tell me about your past." This time, I did blink in surprise, and almost followed it with a wince.

"Don't want to." I mumbled before getting up and walking away under the pretence of putting a book away, even though we usually didn't do it manually.

"Leo!" She exclaimed sharply, and I almost dropped the book I was holding in surprise. I turned halfway around to look at her. "You have to tell someone, so why not tell me?" I lowered my gaze to the floor, biting my lip before looking back up at her, watching me expectantly.

"Can't." I said quickly before turning around again, only for her to grab my shoulder, forcing me to stop.

"You have to. One of these days, it's going to get too much for you to handle on your own, and you are going to implode." She whispered, and I stared at her before averting my gaze again. I heard her sigh in frustration and resignation, thinking I wasn't going to tell her.

"My parents, or my mother and the man I thought to be my father anyway, were very strict. They expected me to behave, they expected me to be polite, and they expected me to be the perfect child." I glanced at her before quickly glancing away again. "Unfortunately, as you know, I have a rebellious streak, and I didn't always do what they wanted to me to. Usually, this wasn't too bad, but one night..." I paused here, blinking away the tears that had resurfaced along with the memory.

"What happened?" Elaine whispered, her voice heavy with inquisition.

"Well...my parents were having some pureblood friends over, and...I misbehaved. As soon as their friends had left they turned on me." I glanced at my left arm before starting to roll up the sleeve. "That's how I got...this." I gestured to the implicated area, and I heard her gasp quietly. The scar started just under halfway down the back of my forearm, and was almost the length of my index finger, and was just under half a centimetre thick.

"What...What did they do?" Elaine asked, still staring at the old wound, shocked.

"Some spell, I was too young to remember which." She stared up at me for a minute.

"Leo, you were seven when your parents kicked you out...when did this happen?" I avoided her gaze for a few seconds before finally meeting it.

"I was five." She sucked in a sharp breath, and looked surprisingly angry. "They didn't usually...go that far. Usually it was just yelling...or bruising." She looked disgusted, so I pulled my sleeve down again quickly. "It's nothing." Her head snapped up, tears in her eyes.

"It's not nothing, don't you dare say it's nothing!" I was a little taken aback by this, before I caught sight of something I hadn't noticed before, even with my superior eyesight.

"Elaine...is that what I think it is?" She looked up at me again, this time confused and...a little scared? I used my hand to push the hair off her shoulder to get a look at what I had seen, staring at it for a minute before looking down at her. "Elaine..." she shook her head, biting at her lips.

"No, I got that um..." She searched for an excuse. "Fencing! Fencing? Ugh, why couldn't I have picked a better excuse." I would have laughed at this, if I didn't know pretty much exactly how this scar had come about.

"Just tell me." I said quietly, and she stared at me for a minute, as if judging whether it was worth telling me or not.

"I...my...my father abused me and my mother." She whispered, and I resisted the ever growing urge to punch a wall. "We stayed for a few years, having nowhere else to go, but eventually my mother got enough money, and enough courage, to move us away." I exhaled sharply, glancing down at her before glancing at the wall then back at her. Maybe I wouldn't punch a wall, maybe I'd find her dad and punch him.

"Elaine..." I pulled her close, wrapping my arms around her, and she froze for a second before returning the hug. "How about a toast?" I could feel her confusion, so I squeezed my eyes shut, and two pieces of buttered toast appeared on the table.

"You do know that's not what a toast is, right?" She asked as she saw them, smiling at me, sad yet amused.

"I don't know, is it?" She knew I was joking, but she didn't continue, instead walking over to the table and joining me in lifting our pieces of toast into the air.

"To having jerks for parents, for without them, we wouldn't be who we are today." She smiled slightly before we knocked our pieces together before taking a bite.

"God, we should be like, the 'life sucks' group. I mean, Remus is a werewolf for gods sakes, you're a half-vampire who was abused for the first half of his life, and I'm the lonely, abused girl. God, I could be a cutter." I raised an eyebrow and she shook her head slightly.

"But hey, we all have gotten pretty good situations now. I mean, I live with my real dad, you and your mom left your dads sorry ass in the dust, and Remus has two friends who are ready to help him with anything."

In the next second, the door opened slightly, and Remus stuck his head in, looking sheepish.

"Hey. Um...I'm sorry, but...I may have brought some people back with me." Elaine and I glanced at each other, confused, and Remus pulled the door open more to show Lily, James, Sirius and Peter standing there.

"Great." I mutter, and Lily narrows her eyes at me.

"And what's _that_ supposed to mean?"

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(A/N): Sometimes I want to hit Lily in the face with a cold fish.

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	27. Remus' Lost Days

(A/N): Hey Guys! So, it's 11:10 p.m at night and I only just finished this chapter. I may write another one, considering I don't have to wake up until 1pm at the latest tomorrow for my Subject selctions at school. So, during this chapter, my sister was watching Scrubs, and at one point Remus started channeling Dr. Cox. Yeah, I found it strange too. Okay, so here's the chapter, which is basically the events Remus suffered from when he left the room of requirement to when he came back! I named this chapter after the episode in season 2 of Avatar: the Last Airbender called Appa's Lost Days.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Leo, Elaine, Nicholai and Quiggly.

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Roughly twenty minutes earlier

Remus

I was on my way down to the kitchens when I was grabbed. They thought ahead, because they not only grabbed me around the waist, but also put a hand over my mouth so I couldn't scream. I was thrust into a chair, and a light flared up in front of my face, causing me to blink, trying to adjust to the sudden increase in light. When I could finally see, I glared at the faces of my supposed 'best friends'.

"What the hell-?" I tried to move my hand in front of my face to shield my eyes from the light, but it was tied to the side of the chair. "What the hell!" I glared at them for real now, and Sirius, who was holding the light in my face, took a step back.

"Look Remus-" Okay, what the hell was Lily doing here? Usually she couldn't stand being around the boys unless Elaine was there, and even then it was only on rare occasions. Then again, we hadn't really hung out with them since we started the research, except during class and sometimes breakfast. "I'm sorry for getting the boys," She gestured to Sirius and James here, though leaving Peter out, probably because he hadn't actually done anything. "to kidnap you, but this is getting serious." I must have looked confused, because this was the point where she tried to explain.

"Look, I've barely talked to Leo and Elaine since just after school started, and I _miss_ them. I'm sure the boys miss you, and probably Leo, just as badly. So, could you cut down on the whatever the hell you three have been doing?" I shook my head immediately, and her eyebrows furrowed.

"Why the hell not?" She asked furiously, and I shrugged, trying to seem nonchalant even though I was still angry they had tried to kidnap me.

"Because, Lily, they're perfect for each other." The others looked confused.

"Well, that's obvious to all, but why is it important in this situation?" James asked, and I smiled slightly, shaking my head.

"Because they're both so gosh darn stubborn, it makes me want to cry." Lily cracked a smile, and I could see that both James and Sirius were amused.

"So, if you can't get them to cut down on whatever they're doing, can you get us involved in it?" I froze when Lily asked this question, staring up at her, and I saw her eyes widen at the fear I was clearly showing. I tried to get my hand free, yanking it to get it free of the metallic cuff, but it only managed to hurt me.

"Remus! Remus!" James cried before slamming his hands down on his shoulders to keep me in place, to keep me from hurting myself more. "Merlin, what the hell's going on that you'd want to hurt yourself to get away from us?" I was panicked.

"It's none of your business. Now, let me go!" I started yanking on the chain again, and the others glanced at each other worriedly before Lily waved her wand, and the chain flew back into the end of her wand. I glanced down at my wrist, which was raw, and had a single stream of blood leaking from it, flexing it lightly to get feeling back.

"Thank you." I said quietly, and lily stared at me for a few seconds.

"You're like Leo, aren't you Remus?" My head snapped up, and for a minute I was frozen with panic that she knew. "You both hate talking about what's troubling you, especially when it's something serious. You're both secretive bastards." She said the last part with a tone of affection, but also with frustration.

"Yeah, Lils, we're pretty much _exactly _the same. Or perhaps, we're mirror images of each other." They stared at me for a second before I elaborated. "Exactly the same but flipped." They nodded in understanding before Peter finally spoke up.

"We know they're stubborn, but you know we worry. So please, get them to spend time with us, or we won't leave you, or them, alone." I stared at him for a minute before nodding slowly and standing up, making a tough decision.

"Follow me." And they did.

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(A/N): So, how did you like it? I think James would be the first to try and stop a friend from hurting themselves, so yeah, and I think Pettigrew, although I hate his ratty guts, could be rather helpful.

Please review and/or check out my other stories!


	28. Head Wounds

(A/N): Hey Guys! So, this is the next chapter! It's now 1:35 am here, and I'm going to bed straight after this. So. Tired. Have fun with it, even though most of it is pointless.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Leo, Elaine, Nicholai and Quiggly.

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Previously:

"_Great." I mutter, and Lily narrows her eyes at me._

"_And what is _that_ supposed to mean?"_

Leo

"Well, what does that mean?" Lily asked again, angrily.

"Nothing, _ma'm._" Lily glared at me, and I could see Remus trying to apologise with his eyes.

"_ma'm_? Oh, I am going to kill you!" She growled, and started towards me before James grabbed her around the waist, lifting her feet of the ground. "Put me down Potter, or I will make sure you _never_ have children! _Never_!" He instantly dropped her, giving me an apologetic look before she lunged towards me again, which I dodged easily. I gestured to Elaine discreetly to get rid of the research books, and she closed her eyes instantly.

"I'm going to kill you! You know I hate being...called...ma'm..." She trailed off, slowing to a stop, looking up at me before spinning around to see Elaine with her eyes closed.

"What is she-?" In that second, the books disappeared from the tables, and Lily spun around to see me smiling down at her smugly.

"Morning Lils, how are you?" Her eyebrows furrowed, and she stared up at me.

"It's almost three in the afternoon." She pointed out, and I glanced around, looking for a window.

"Really? Wow, we need windows in here." With a blink, I asked the room for windows, and three large, floor to ceiling windows appeared, and, true to what lily said, it looked to be around three in the afternoon.

"Smug bastard." Lily muttered under her breath, and I grinned at her, causing her eyes to widen. "Don't you dare-!" I scooped her up bridal style before spinning around in circles before setting her feet on the ground again gently but quickly, and she staggered before stumbling into James, knocking them both to the ground. I blinked again, and a muggle Polaroid camera appeared in my hands, and I quickly snapped a shot of the tangled two before sending the camera back to where it came, and slipping the Polaroid into my pocket.

"You did that on purposed didn't you?" Sirius asked amusedly, and I nodded in affirmation.

"Of course I did, she called me smug." Lily glared up at me from the floor, where her head was resting on James's chest, his arm wrapped around her shoulders as it had been while he was trying to stop her from falling.

"Seriously, I think I hit my head." James said, lifting his head slightly so he could gingerly touch the back of his head with his fingertips. That's when I smelt it, the blood I mean. I glanced at Elaine, and her eyes widened after a split-second.

"Leo, will you help me find a book please?" I nodded, and we rushed off into a remote part of the Library, and I took an experimental breath before exhaling quickly. Elaine grabbed my hands and dragged me into a corner before closing her eyes, and a few seconds later a clear, seemingly glass box encased us, and small air vents appeared in the wall.

"Breathe." I gingerly did as she said before breathing in, exhaling, and breathing in again.

"Oh my god that was close!" Though, seeing as I said it so quickly, it probably sounded like this, 'Ohmygodthatwasclose!'.

"It's okay, you're away from it now." I shook my head at Elaine's attempt to be reassuring.

"Try as I might, blood is always going to be around, hell right-" I cut myself off from what I was going say, because, after all, I didn't want to freak her out.

"What?" She asked, her eyebrows lowered in curiosity.

"Do you really want to know?" I asked, raising an eyebrow at her in an almost challenging way, trying to warn her that it wouldn't be a good idea.

"Sure, might as well." She said quietly.

"What I was going to say was, 'Hell, right now I want to _eat_ you.'" I looked her in the eye before she sank to the ground beside me, our backs pressed against the bookshelf.

"Well...do I at least smell nice?" I burst out laughing at this, which she didn't seem to understand.

"What? What?" I grinned at her before grabbing her hand in mine.

"You smell like green apples, chocolate and cinnamon." She smiled slightly before glancing at our hands for a second and tightening her fingers around mine and resting her head on my shoulder, and I rested my head on hers.

"Nice to know. What does Remus smell like?" I grinned at her lightly.

"Coffee and...dark chocolate, strangely enough." She moved her head out from under mine, to raise an eyebrow at me before replacing it.

"Lily?" I thought back for a second. After all, I hadn't really been around her as often as the other two lately.

"Green apples, vanilla and the colour red. You can sometimes tell what people will smell like by looking at them. Green eyes, green apples. Pale skin, vanilla. Red hair, the colour red." I felt her start to move and shook my head. "The colour red smells...warm. Like a mix between...you know, I really don't know what, it just smells...red." I could feel Elaine laughing at me silently so I lightly wacked her on the arm with the hand that wasn't still holding hers.

"What about James?" I smiled, glad to have changed the subject off what the colour red smelt like.

"Peppermint, cookies and cream ice-cream and limes." Elaine made a delighted noise that, frankly, I thought was adorable.

"What about Sirius?" I scoffed quietly.

"Wet dog, leather and sandalwood."

"Why wet dog?" I thought it over for a second.

"Maybe it's because his hair's so shaggy, it's like fur."

"How about Peter?" I inhaled quietly, seeing as, even though I couldn't smell what was that far away, through the glass shield, I did anyway, seeing as I had already heard the others approach.

"Lip balm." She was perplexed I could tell, but I sat up anyway. "By the way, I know you're there guys." The others stepped out from behind the book shelf to our right, and Elaine looked a little surprised before moving on. The glass barrier came down before the others could really notice it, and the smell of blood was weaker now, probably because either Remus or Lily had put a piece of gauze over James' head wound, but I could still smell it. It wasn't as bad, I could cope.

" So, why were you guys spending so much time in here alone?" Sirius asked, and Elaine, Remus and I stared at each other for a minute, trying to come up with a convincing lie.

"Oh, you know, got to get started on those OWL's early." They looked perplexed.

"OWL's aren't for four years." I nodded.

"That's exactly what they want you to think." And with that, we trailed off into some more casual conversation. After all, we hadn't really hung out in almost a month and a half, and we had barely known each other already at that point.

Anyway, that's how we ended up discussing Quidditch.

"So, Leo, what about you? You considering trying out next year?" I shook my head quickly.

"Nah, my dad doesn't want me to, says it's too dangerous." At this point, I saw Sirius' eyebrows wrinkle.

"Didn't we first meet in a Quidditch store?"

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(A/N): Damn Sirius, being all acute-ly minded. Okay, there was another word I wanted there, but I can't remember what. In fact I did that a few times in the story with the word perplexed. in fact, it's pretty much the only word int here, if you look closely.

Please review and/or check out my other stories!


	29. Observant and Silent Conversations

(A/N): Hey Guys! So, I started this chapter last night but I had some trouble with it. I had to go to school today, and we made pizza in Home Ec. We did subject selection yesterday, and me and mum were in and out in under ten minutes. I would like to thank you for all the reviews, but alert you that since I'm trying to end this year, because nothing important ever really happens in first year, I will be skipping through time a lot int he next few chapters.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Leo, Nicholai, Elaine and Quiggly.

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Leo

Damn Sirius for being observant. The other turned to look at me, and Elaine and Remus rolled their eyes. What were the chances of that happening?

"Well, yes." I stated, as if it was blatantly obvious. Which, of course, it was.

"Then why does your father not want you to play? If what I think is correct, your father was there as well. In fact, he seemed more obsessed with Quidditch than James, and that's saying something." James wacked him over the back of the head, and I saw Lily's lips twitch up in amusement. Must watch out for that.

"Just because he's obsessed with it, doesn't mean he doesn't think it dangerous." James, Sirius and Lily stared at me for a minute, and I knew they knew I was lying, but they let it drop.

"Still, you should try out. I mean, I've seen your punch, you'd be a great beater, or even a chaser."  
The others stared at Remus now, looking confused.

"When did you see him throw a punch? I haven't seen him punch." Sirius said, sounding slightly left-out.

"It was just before he made up with Lily. He punched a wall." The others winced and I shrugged.

"At least I didn't break my hand that time." They all stared at me, shocked.

"Wait, when did you break your hand?" Elaine and Lily asked at the same time, voices full of concern, making me sigh.

"Just after Lily and I had our 'fight'. I punched a wall, very hard, and broke my hand. Shattered it, actually." I lifted up my right hand, scrunching it into a fist to show the light scars that coated my knuckles, and the back of my hand. Elaine moved her hand beneath mine, lifting it up slightly to inspect it.

"How have we never noticed this before?" I cracked a smile before shrugging.

"Because you're horribly unobservant?" She clenched her lips together, her eyebrows lowering slightly in a sign of her anger. "Relax Damsel, stress is slowly killing you." I told her with a roll of the eyes, and the others, except for Remus, stared at us.

"Why do you call her Damsel? Remus does it too." I raised an eyebrow at Peter's question, and I saw him swallow nervously under my gaze. Wuss.

"It's a nickname."

"Yeah, a stupid nickname." I heard Elaine mutter under her breath, and grabbed her hand, helping her off the ground.

"Really? Do you and Remus have nicknames as well?" I nodded, slightly cautiously at Lily's inquiry.

"I'm Blue, Remus is Moony." The others eyebrows lower as they try to work something out.

"I get Elaine's name," She looked up and glared at James as he said this. "It's purely ironic," She grinned at him now, apologetically. "But why are you guys called Blue," He pointed to me. "and Moony?" He now turned his finger to Remus, who glanced at me.

"I don't know, it just seems to fit. Half the time, I wake up in the middle of the night, and Remus is staring out the window at the moon. Hence, Moony. Me, I think it's because of this." I pointed to the old, chunky yet ornate ring on my left hand. It had a large sapphire at the front, though the ring itself was made of gold, with Latin words inscribed upon its surface.

"What is that?" Elaine asked first, curious as the rest of them were, though Remus was trying to hide it.

"It's a family heirloom. From my _mothers_ side." Their eyes widened slightly, and Sirius leaned away from it before attempting to scan my face.

"What does it mean?" Lily asked, studying the writing intensely.

"Purus Usque Mortem means, 'Pure until death'." The others drew back slightly, staring at me.

"Why do you wear it?" I shrug, trying to avoid their gazes even though I knew it to be hopeless.

"Maybe because it's the only thing I have of my mother's. Or maybe, it's because it _doesn't come off_." I pulled at the ring roughly to demonstrate, and the ring didn't budge in the slightest. "She glued it there before she threw me out." The others, except for Remus and Lily raised their eyebrows.

"I knew you lived with your dad and didn't see your mum, but I didn't know that. Why'd she kick you out?" I grinned at her, still fiddling with the ring.

"I wouldn't behave." Of course, this was an absolute lie, but they seemed to buy it.

"So, you were a rebel even at seven, nice." Elaine commented, trying to draw the attention away a little, for which I thanked her with my eyes. I may seem confident and calm, but inside I'm really just a big ball of angst and nerves that didn't like attention.

"Seven? Your mother kicked you out when you were_ seven_?" James demanded to know, and I shrugged, silently trying to make myself smaller, to hide and disappear.

"Well...yeah." I said nervously, and slightly obviously, and James and Sirius stared at me while Lily tackled me with a tight hug.

"Gee, Lily, that's a great help." I told her sarcastically, and I felt James get slightly angry before Elaine smacked me on the shoulder.

"Be nice!" She scolded me quietly, causing me to roll my eyes at her.

"Now where's the fun in that?"

"Just because there's no fun in it, and trust me, I know there's no fun in it, doesn't mean you don't still have to do it." I raised an eyebrow at her and she shrugged slightly.

"I swear, sometimes it's like you two have your own little language." James commented, and we turned to look at him, confused and curious.

"How so?" I asked, to which he shrugged.

"Well, you two always share these looks, and then one of you shrugs, or smiles, or frowns to let them know what they think." I turned to look at Elaine and she shrugged slightly before raising an eyebrow and shaking her head.

"Like that! What did that just mean?" It turned to look at him, eyebrow raised in confusion.

"Well...I asked if we did that, she said maybe so and then she asked if I was going to get into it further before shaking her head to tell me not to." The others turned from whatever they were doing to stare at us.

"What? You can't communicate by using body actions? Elaine, we can talk silently whenever we want without them understanding us!" She rolled her eyes at me and I frowned at her before stomping my foot. "So unfair!" The others stared at us for an explanation but we shrugged. Only we needed to know that Elaine wouldn't let us have secret facial conversation when the others were around because it would piss them off! Sniff, it's so unfair!

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(A/N): When did Leo turn into such a drama queen?

Please review and/or check out my other stories!

P.S: This is the most reviews I have ever had, for any story!


	30. Group Hugs and Being Found Out

(A/N): Hey Guys! So, another time skip. I've been working on this chapter for most of the day, so don't think that I've been neglecting it, it's just that I write very slowly. I hope you enjoy this chapter, and I thank you for all the reviews you have given me. Also, I want to thank the people reading this who haven't reviewed, because you're just as important as those who did.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Leo, Elaine, Nicholai and Quiggly.

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Leo

It had been a few months now since the others had coerced Remus into bringing them to the Room of Requirement to see them, so we all agreed to take breaks to hang out with them every now and then. Of course, it wasn't as good as it could have been, but we were still trying our hardest to become animagi, and that wasn't exactly the easiest thing in the world.

"I'm just saying, I think you two should give up trying to become Animagi. I mean, you're only first years!" Remus told us, for the fortieth time that night.

"Yes, but unlike others, we are actually competent." Elaine snapped, having gotten tired of Remus' constant attempts to deter us from becoming animagi.

"Seriously, could you imagine James and Sirius trying to become animagi? No!" I added, to which he shrugged.

"I think they'd blow something up." Elaine commented, and I nodded seriously in agreement.

"And even Lily, if she tried, she wouldn't get very far because she's too dependent. If someone asked her to stop, and she wasn't completely, one hundred percent fixed on this, she'd stop. Unlike us. I was only like, 60% serious when we started this, and when you asked us to stop, we didn't. Why?" Remus lifted his head from the book he was reading to glance between us.

"Because you're both stubborn as a mule?" I glanced at Elaine and she shrugged as a response.

"While true, that wasn't really the response we were hoping for. You know why?" He shook his head this time, stumped. "Because you're our friend Moony. We weren't going to leave you out in the cold." Elaine told him, and I nodded confirmation.

"And we don't do this for just any of our friends. I wouldn't do this for Severus, though I'm still not quite sure whether he's a friend or not." I considered it for a second before shaking my head. "But that's not the point. You want to try and stop us, that's fine, but just know right now, that you aren't going to succeed." He stared at us, trying to see if we were completely serious before sighing and leaning back in his chair.

"Fine." Elaine and I high-fived.

"Yes!" We cried in unison, to which he rolled his eyes.

"It's almost seven, we should get back to the Common room to spend some time with the others, you know how they get." Remus suggested, and Elaine and I glanced at our watches quickly as if to check if he was telling the truth.

"Damn. I guess we'll have to wait till tomorrow then." We stood up, placing our books on the table before walking out, making our way back to the Gryffindor Common room.

* * *

"Hey Lils." I said as I flopped onto the couch next to her, Elaine dropping on the other side. Remus sat on the couch across from us, and James, Sirius and Peter raced over, jumping over the back of the couch to sit next to him.

"Hey Leo, hi Elaine." She said somewhat coolly, and I knew she was pissed that we hadn't been spending much time with each other.

"Oh Lilsy-pie, don't be upset with me please?!" I cried dramatically before wrapping my arms around her waist and burrowing my head into the side of her neck.

"Leo!" She yelled, startled, and by now everyone in the common room had looked at us and shook their heads, amused, before turning back to whatever they had been doing before we had disturbed their silence.

"Lilly-loo, no being angry with us!" Elaine cried as well before joining the hug, us grinning at each other smugly from either side of Lily's neck.

"Elaine!" See, Elaine had only recently gotten used to Lily enough to hug her, and it was still very much a shock to Lily whenever she did.

"Group hug?" I heard James ask, and I could feel Lily shaking her head furiously. At the last possible second, as James launched himself at Lily for a hug, Elaine and I flung ourselves backwards, leaving only James hugging Lily while the rest of us watched on smugly as he apologised profusely afterwards.

"Asses." He muttered, glaring at Elaine, Sirius, Remus, Peter and I for not joining in and stopping Lily from yelling at him.

"Aw, poor baby." Elaine whispered to me, and I grinned back at her before yawning.

"Little Leo's tired, is he?" James asked bitterly, his arms crossed over his chest.

"I haven't slept properly for three days. Of course I'm tired!" I snapped quietly before shaking my head. "Sorry." He nodded understandingly.

"Maybe you guys should go to sleep. I mean, we wanted to spend time with you, but if you pass out because of it I think we'll feel much worse about it." We three considered his suggestion ro a minute before shrugging tiredly and heading for our dorms.

"Thanks. Night guys!" I said with a wave as I reached the bottom of the stairs, and the toher waved back.

"Night you three, sleep tight and don't let the bedbugs bite!" lily called after us to which we murmured agreement.

* * *

Lily

"You think they're gone?" Sirius asked, and I nodded slowly.

"Alright, let's go!" James announced, taking charge and heading for the portrait hole. See, after months of Leo, Remus and Elaine disappearing for most of their days, we had decided to sneak into the room of requirement in hopes of finding out what the hell they were up to. As much as I hated hanging out with the terror twins and Peter, I had to if I wanted to figure out why Leo and Elaine had suddenly gone AWOL all those months ago.

"So, Lily-" James started as we reached the tapestry of the trolls trying to dance ballet, before I cut him off.

"No." He looked puzzled and frustrated.

"You don't even know what-"

"No." I reiterated, to which he sighed somewhat angrily.

"Whatever." He said, speeding up, and I simply rolled my eyes.

"Big baby." I muttered, and we reached the spot where we knew the room of requirement was.

"What now?" Peter asked quietly, and Sirius reached out a hand to touch the blank wall ahead of us.

"Now we do what Remus did." He closed his eyes and paced in front of the door three times, and slowly, a door appeared. We approached it, cautiously almost, and pushed it open, to find ourselves in the exact same Library we had been in last time, except now the books were on the table.

"Now, to find out what they were up to." We walked over to the tables before grabbing a book each and turning them over. I glanced at the title before looking to the others, who held up their books to show the same thing.

"Animagi? Why would they be researching that?"

* * *

(A/N): Oooh, so now they know! How will they react, and how will the trio react when they find out they know?

Please review and/or check out my other stories!


	31. Breaking the Rules

(A/N): Hey Guys! So, this chapter was originally supposed to be longer, but I'm very busy, and I've been keeping you waiting too long. Plus, I just finished watching the first episode of Fullmetal Alchemist, and I really want to watch more without feeling guilty.

Now, the entire basis of this chapter was a pondering: When was the 'no first year is allowed to bring a broom to Hogwarts' rule initiated?

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Leo, Elaine, Quiggly and Nicholai.

* * *

Leo

The next morning, I woke Remus up at _five_ a.m in order to avoid James, Sirius, Peter and Lily. See, when Sirius asked if we were gone last night, we were. But they didn't know I could still hear them...So, I knew they were going to the Room of Requirement, and I also knew that I had left the books on the table like the idiot I am. I also felt James, Sirius and Peter staring at us as they entered the dorm room last night, whispering to each other when they thought we were sleeping. Well, Remus _was_ sleeping, but I obviously wasn't. In fact, I didn't sleep at all last night. So, when five came, I climbed out of bed quickly but silently, and shook Remus awake.

"What-?" I covered his mouth with my hand before making the international sign for 'shut up, you big idiot'. He nodded slowly, confused, and I took my hand away.

"The others went to the Room of Requirement after we went to bed, they know about the research." I whispered at a pitch so that even Remus would have trouble hearing me, even with the full moon only being a few days away, his senses heightened because of this.

"We should find Elaine and avoid them." I raised an eyebrow before grinning at him.

"I have taught you well!" I whispered before pulling him out of bed single-handedly before going to get changed from my pyjamas.

Not ten minutes, we were standing in front of the girls stair case, staring at it like it was a particularly difficult transfiguration quiz.

"How are we going to get up there?" Remus asked quietly, though not as quiet as we had been being, seeing as no one else was awake yet. I glanced at him, grinning, and he looked a little worried. "What?" He asked, sounding vaguely suspicious.

"How comfortable are you with flying?"

Turns out, Remus wasn't comfortable with flying _at all_. So, I had to run back into the dorm room silently – which only took a second for me- get my broom, and run back down to the common room where Remus was waiting for me.

"That was fast." He said, sounding slightly shocked, and I rolled my eyes.

"Vampire speed mate, best thing about this." I pushed open one of the windows on the east wall, and mounted my broom.

"Be back in a few minutes...hopefully." He raised an eyebrow, now looking _very_ worried. I kicked off and carefully manoeuvred myself and the broom out the window. I flew around to the girls side of the tower, and found myself with yet another problem.

_Which window was the first year girls?_

With no other clear solution to this, I simply knocked on the first window I came across. Which, fortunately or unfortunately, to this day I can't decide, wasn't the first year girls. Though, it was the second year girls, which wasn't too far off.

A few seconds later, the window was pushed open by a pretty girl with long black hair and pale green eyes.

"Um...hi?" She asked, a confused smile on her lips, her eyebrows raised slightly.

"Sorry, wrong dorm. Do you know where the first year girls' dorm is?" I asked, trying to sound confident and nonchalant, even though I was embarrassed as hell.

"Uh...yeah. One window down, actually." I saluted, a small smile on my lips before starting to lean my broom down. "What are you, going on a early morning date or something?" She asked, staring at me, only now just realising that it was still dark out.

"No, got to pick up a friend so we can avoid some other friends." She raised an eyebrow again, and I shook my head. "You _really_ don't want to know." She nodded in agreement, and I waved before spiralling down to the next window, and knocking lightly, knowing that Lily was in this room.

A few seconds later the window opened, and revealed Alice Fortescue, a girl I know to be in our year.

"Leo?" She asked quietly, rubbing her eyes, and I smiled slightly.

"Yep. Don't supposed you could fetch Damsel for me?" She stared at me for a minute, confused, before I rolled my eyes. "Elaine. Can you get Elaine?" She made a sound of understanding before disappearing again, and a few seconds later, a tired looking Elaine arrived at the window.

"What the hell are you doing here?" She whispered furiously, and I raised an eyebrow.

"Just go get dressed." She stared at me for a minute before turning and closing the window.

Was that a yes, or a no?

A minute or two later, the window opened again, and she no longer wore pyjamas.

"Okay, I'll be right down." I shook my head and grabbed her hand.

"Come one, this is quicker." She stared at me, looking slightly scared, and I rolled my eyes. "I won't let you fall." I whispered, barely loud enough for her to hear, but she swallowed nervously before nodding, and climbing onto the window sill. She glanced at me, and I rolled my eyes before moving the broom closer to the wall.

She slung a leg over the broom gingerly and slid off the sill, her hands clenching my waist in fright as she dropped onto the broom slightly, and I smiled slightly before reaching out and pulling the window closed silently.

"Hold on tight." I whispered, and she punched me in the arm lightly before squeaking quietly as I angled the broom downwards again, her hands finding my waist and tangling them in the hooded shirt I wore. I guided the broom, plus us, through the window, and Remus stared at us for a second, seemingly amused.

"Morning Damsel." She scowled at the use of her nickname.

"I, am not, a damsel!" She whisper shouted, and he grinned at her smugly.

"The look on your face when you flew in here says differently." I felt her blush before I touched the broom down, and slid off.

"So what did we do to deserve this early morning wake-up?" Elaine asked, and I frowned sheepishly.

"The others know. They snuck into the Room of Requirement after we went to bed, and the books were left on the table." The smiled dropped from her face, and she glanced at me.

"We are so screwed. I vote we avoid the crap out of them!" Remus and I stared at her for a second.

"That's what we said." We chorused, and she grinned.

"Though we said it slightly less colourfully." I added, and she scowled at me again.

"You know what else is less colourful than Elaine's language? Leo's waist when she doesn't remove her grip." Remus teased, and we both glanced down at where her hands still gripped my waist, so tightly that her knuckles had turned white from the strain. She quickly released me, blushing furiously.

"Sorry." She muttered, to which I shrugged.

"Okay, so, if I know Lily...which I _do_, we have less than an hour before they wake up. They'll want to interrogate us as early as possible, without an escape route. Too bad we're already gone." I grinned, and Elaine and Remus looked amused. That is, before I heard footsteps close by.

"Get down!" I whispered, pushing Elaine and Remus behind the couch, mere seconds before the portrait hole swung open to reveal Professor McGonagall. She seemed surprised to see me, standing in the middle of the common room with my broom in my hands.

"Leo, my office, now!" She commanded.

And that's why, to this day, there is a rule to say that no first year student is to bring their own broom to school.

* * *

(A/N): Bueno? Bad? ¿Qué te pareció?

Please review and/or check out my other stories!


	32. Running Away and Swearing To It

(A/N): Hey Guys! So, I know I haven't updated in a while, and I know this is short, but there are only two more chapters after this till the end of first year. Do you guys think I should split it into different stories per year, or keep it in the same story?

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Leo, Elaine, Nicholai and Quiggly.

* * *

Leo

After half an hour of scolding from professor McGonagall, I was free to go. I walked back to the Gryffindor common room quickly, and found Remus and Elaine surrounded by a still sleepy looking James, Sirius, Peter and Lily.

"Morning!" I said, falsely cheery, and Elaine raised an eyebrow.

"Morning." Lily said dully, to which I frowned.

"Well, McGonagall confiscated my broom, and gave me a month's detention. Then she realised that there's only two weeks left before the end of term, and made it two weeks." I told them, sinking into one of the red plush couches.

"For what?!" James exclaimed, standing bolt upright. Oh.

"He flew out the window to wake up Elaine, seeing as we couldn't go up the stairs. McGonagall saw him." Sirius and James stared at me for a second, looking impressed.

"Out that window?" Sirius asked, pointing to the one behind us.

"Yep." Elaine said, popping the p.

"And you woke up Elaine? That takes some serious courage." James joked, to which Elaine punched him on the arm.

"Some _Sirius_ courage, eh?" Sirius said slyly, to which we all replied with a groan.

"Not to mention the fact that he then flew back down with her clutching to him, screaming like a banshee." Remus told them, to which Sirius and James looked more impressed, and Lily chuckled.

"No he didn't!" Elaine protested, and Remus raised an eyebrow at her.

"Oh really?" She shrugged, frowning.

"Well, he did, but I _wasn't_ screaming."

"The clutching part was true though." Remus teased, to which she glared at him.

"Relax Damsel, stress is slowly killing you." I told her quietly, so the others couldn't hear, and she glanced at me before calming down slightly.

"So...Why are you guys researching animagi?" James asked, and Remus, Elaine and I shared a look.

"I told you, we're getting an early start on our OWL's." Lily glared at me before shaking her head.

"That excuse won't fly this time! We want to know, and if you guys can't tell us the truth we'll...we'll..." She glanced at Sirius and James who shrugged.

"Shit, we've got nothing." I glanced at Peter as he said this, surprised, before smiling at Lily somewhat smugly.

"Yeah, pretty much. Truth is, you have no clue what we're doing, and you don't have any leverage, so why don't you just drop it?" I suggested, and Lily glared at me again.

"Tell me this Leo, you and Remus are exactly alike, aren't you?" I froze for a second, swallowing deeply, before blinking quickly.

"In what way?" She raised an eyebrow and glanced at the other three.

"Why did both of them freeze when I asked them that?" James and Sirius stared at us both for a second, and Elaine decided to intervene.

"Because they're both really pale?" It was a weak intervention, but still.

"While true, I don't think that's why." I locked eyes with Lily, silently pleading for her to let this go, but she simply fixed me with a determined look.

"Because-" I started, before cutting myself off by grabbing Remus and Elaine's arm and bolting for the portrait hole. "Try and keep up!" I told Remus and Elaine, who were running on their own now. I took a sharp left, and they followed me, and I glanced behind me to see the others just turning the corner. I slid around another corner, this time dragging the other two with me, before turning another and halting in front of a portrait.

"Blabbering bison." I muttered, and the portrait swung open, allowing me to pull the other two inside, the door closing behind us mere seconds before Lily, James, Sirius and Peter rounded the corner, looking confused. I raised a finger to my lips, and Elaine and Remus nodded quickly, knowing to stay quiet.

"Where did they go?" James asked, perplexed, and Sirius frowned.

"I'd say a secret passage. Leo did say he knew all of Hogwarts secrets." I smirked slightly.

"Okay guys, if you come out, we'll drop it." None of us moved, we weren't that stupid. "Leo!" Lily yelled, and Remus jumped. "I _swear_ to you, we'll drop it." I mulled it over in my head for a second before pushing the portrait open, and moving out from behind it, the others following slowly.

"I'll hold you to that." I warned her, and she nodded.

"I know you will, that's why I said it." She held her hand out, and I shook it. Just as she was about to release my hand, I tightened my grip, looked her in the eye, and pulled her into a tight hug.

"I wouldn't forget this, if I were you." I whispered to her, and she shuddered slightly.

"For someone who's usually so upbeat, you can be downright terrifying at times."

* * *

(A/N): Please review and/or check out my other stories!


	33. Hogwarts Express II and Training

(A/N): Hey Guys! So, this chapter is much longer than the last, yay! This the second to last chapter of first year, also yay! Sorry about the amount of line dividers in this chapter!

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Leo, Elaine, Nicholai and Quiggly.

* * *

Leo

It had been two weeks since our little pact, and Lily, James, Sirius and Peter were holding up their side of the deal, albeit begrudgingly. Today was the last day of term though, and nothing could bring me down, because I was going to see my father. Of course, this meant being away from Elaine and Remus, but still, I got to see my dad. Besides, I'd still be able to send them letters, and I'd still be able to see Lily at least.

I packed all my last minute items into my trunk before glancing around at our dorm room, to see Remus laying on his bed, finished, and James, Sirius and Peter rushing around trying to pack everything, seeing as they had been too lazy to pack it before now.

"You could have saved yourself the trouble if you'd just packed last night." I muttered, and James glared at me before tugging on his hair roughly. I held my hands up in surrender before pushing myself onto my bed.

"What you reading Moony?" He shook the book cover in my face silently, and I smiled in amusement.

"Romeo and Juliet? Hoping for a great romance of your own?" He simply flipped me off before taking another bite of the chocolate bar he held.

"Fine, just don't blame me if you get chocolate on the pages." He rolled his eyes at me, before we heard Elaine's voice calling up the stairs.

"Hurry up slowpokes, we're going to be late for the train at this rate!" I grinned at Remus before pulling him off the bed quickly and rushing down the stairs to see Elaine waiting there.

"Hey." I greeted her quietly, the smile still on my face, and she smiled back.

"Hey." She said, raising her eyebrows slightly. "Remmy still getting ready?"

"No, he's just putting a book back in his trunk. How about Lily?" As I asked this, she emerged at the bottom of the girls staircase.

"Has anybody seen my toothbrush?" she asked over the din, to which she received no reply. "No? Okay, I'll check upstairs again then." I grinned after her before returning my gaze to Elaine.

"What about you, have any trouble getting ready?" She chuckled quietly before shaking her head.

"No, I got everything ready last night, like a _sane_ person." At this point Remus trudged down the stair, another chocolate bar in his hand, and yet more in the pockets of his jacket from what I could smell.

"Got enough chocolate there Moony?" I asked with a smile, and Elaine snorted quietly.

"One can never have enough chocolate."

* * *

When everyone was finally ready, we made our way down to the entrance hall as one big group, where we were joined by Severus, who nodded politely to me, which I returned. I made sure the boys were on my right, and that Severus was on my left, with a barrier of Lily, Elaine, Remus and I between them.

Since all of us wouldn't fit in the one carriage, or the same cabin, we decided we would split into groups for the journey, our original groups, in fact. James, Sirius, Remus and Peter in one group, and Lily, Severus, Elaine and I in the other.

"Well, I guess this is pretty much goodbye."Remus said to both Elaine and I, and we glanced at each other solemnly before pouncing on him, pulling him into a tight hug.

"We'll miss you!" We chorused, and the others chuckled. As we separated, Elaine hugged both Sirius and James, which I was surprised about, before patting Peter on the shoulder. He looked slightly dismayed at this, so when I gave James and Sirius their pat on the shoulder as a way of saying goodbye, I gave him one too, which seemed to cheer him up.

We boarded our separate carriages, Lily and Severus on one side, Elaine and I on the other. Quickly, the carriages set off towards Hogsmeade, and I grinned somewhat sadly at Elaine.

"Just think, after this train ride, you'll be free of me for a whole summer." I joked, and Elaine giggled quietly.

"And who wouldn't want that?" I pouted silently in response, and she quickly backpedalled.

"I meant-" I cut her off with a grin.

"I know what you meant." I said before pulling her into a one-armed hug around the shoulders quickly.

"Make sure to write." She muttered, and I smiled slightly.

"Every day, if you want."

* * *

We had bordered the train, taking our seats in the cabin exactly the same as we had in the carriage, and Elaine leaned against my side, a book in her hands, as well as one in mine. She and Remus had snuck some books out of the Room of Requirement on Animagi, but I was reading up on normal transfiguration, to see if it would help with the change. We were silent for most of the train ride, only speaking on occasion.

* * *

When we arrived at the station, some hours later, we tucked our books in our bags and stood, heading out. Once outside the train, I helped Elaine load her trunk onto her trolley before lifting mine on, and looking around for my father.

"There's my mom!" Elaine said, a wide smile on her lips, and I followed her gaze to see a woman in her early thirties with chestnut brown hair, deep, sea-green eyes and pale skin.

"Well I see where you get your looks." She elbowed me in the ribs, blushing slightly, before suddenly hugging me. I released my grip on my trolley and wrapped my arms around her quickly, before we both let go.

"I guess I'll see you next term." I grinned at her.

"Looking forward to it." She started towards her mother before glancing back at me and waving. I waved in return before scanning the crowd again, finally seeing my father off to the side, and wheeling my trolley towards him quickly.

"Hey dad." I said, and he smiled, genuinely glad to see me.

"Hey Leo." He replied, before pulling me into a tight, somewhat unexpected, hug. "There's been a bit of a change in plans." I felt my eyebrows wrinkle as I returned the hug, and we both separated.

"What do you mean?" I asked, and he glanced around.

"We're not going to be spending the summer in Cokeworth, we're going to the old house." I blinked, letting it sink in for a second before nodding slowly.

"Explain it later?" He nodded, and we headed for the exit.

Once outside, he grabbed my arm, and closed his eyes before spinning on his heel, and suddenly, I was apparating again.

When I stopped feeling like I was being squeezed through a tube, backwards, I opened my eyes to see our old house, the one we had lived in before moving to Cokeworth. It looked more like a castle, really. You see, this was the old Ellwood estate. The family had died out a long time ago, except for my father and I, so we were the only ones there, in this huge house, in the middle of the English country-side.

"So, what are we doing here?" I questioned, and my father grimaced slightly.

"We're training." Okay, now I was confused.

"Training for what?" He glanced around again, before looking down at me.

"For anything. Word is starting to spread amongst us half-breeds, and the word is that a war will be coming in the next few years. I want us to be prepared." I nodded slowly, showing I understood. "Also, this training will help you keep in control of your more...animalistic...tendencies." I winced, and he frowned.

"To help with this, I brought an old friend along." He gestured to the trees near the house, where a girl, perhaps in her late teens, with long and wavy dark brown, almost black hair, tanned skin, and hazel eyes. She was beautiful, but clearly a vampire, despite the tanned skin. "Leo, this is Shari. Shari, Leo." I nodded to her out of politeness, and she smiled in return.

"Shari has agreed to help us to train, so let's get started after we get you some food, and put these bags away, okay?" I nodded slowly, still caught off guard.

Five minutes ago, I was going home, and now, I was training for a war.

* * *

(A/N): Please review and/or check out my other stories!

Disclaimer: I also own Shari.

P.S: Shari looks like a young Charisma Carpenter, and her name is based on the fact that people in my class keep saying i look like this girl called Shari.


	34. Summer Fun

(A/N): Hey Guys! Last chapter of first year, yay! Sorry it's really short!

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Elaine, Leo, Nicholai, Quiggly and Shari.

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Leo

The first few weeks of summer were horrible, I was either training, or sore from training. On my third day there, I received a letter from Lily.

_Leo,_

_Where are you? I went over to your house to get you, and it was empty. I hope this letter reaches you, and if so, you choose to reply._

_What happened?_

_Please reply,_

_Lily_

I replied as soon as possible.

_Lily,_

_Sorry for the lack of explanation and the sudden absence, but my father planned a last minute vacation to our old house in the country. Sorry for making you worry, but we've been too busy setting up to send a letter._

_I miss you, and I'm sorry for not being around to hang out with you. _

_Well, at least you have Severus. _

_Good to hear from you,_

_Leo_

From then on, we sent letter's back and forth, and I decided to send a letter to Elaine to explain why I hadn't been mailing her like I had said I would.

_Elaine,_

_Sorry for not sending an owl,_

_But I've been in the country for the past week. My father decided we should visit some relatives, and dragged me off from King's Cross._

_Sorry if I made you worry,_

_Leo_

_PS: Please reply_

_PPS: It's so boring here_

Well it was! I had offered Lily and Elaine different explanations, as I think Elaine would be less likely to question a visit to some relatives than a sudden vacation, like I had told Lily. I received a reply from her later.

_Leo,_

_That sound like...fun. It's okay, you had a legitimate reason, at least. I was a little worried, but not too much, I know you can look after yourself. Let's leave the mothering up to Lily, shall we?_

_Missed you,_

_Elaine_

I grinned after I had read this, before my father had called me down for breakfast, and then training.

And more training, and even more training. It seems like all I did over the summer was train. It wasn't all bad though. It seems that Shari was quite an adept Quidditch player, so we often played either one on one, or two on one with my father. She taught a few new skills on the broom, skills that only someone with vampire abilities could pull off, and I practised them whenever I wasn't training.

Another annoying thing was how my hair had grown out. It was longer than usual, so that it hung halfway down my forehead unless it was ruffled up, and it could sometimes be a pest. It wasn't too long or anything, it was just longer than it had been, long enough to annoy me.

Shari and I developed a friendship over the summer, not a super-close one, but one where we could talk to each other without it being awkward, at least. A few times, my father had taken me to Diagon Alley to shop, but after my Hogwarts items list came for that year, we only went once, on the very first day after it arrived.

When August 15th rolled around, my birthday, we had a small celebration, and I'm pretty sure even Lily had forgotten, for I didn't receive a letter from her about it, nor a present. It was fine by me though, I hated birthdays.

After all, I was only turning twelve, why did it matter.

* * *

(A/N): Please review and/or check out my other stories!


	35. Going Back To Hogwarts

(A/N): Hey Guys! So, this is the first chapter of second year, and it's here because I wanted to write it, but didn't want to put it in a separate file, seeing as I have enough trouble with uploading chapters to the right stories as it is.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Leo, Elaine, Nicholai, Quiggly and Shari.

* * *

Leo

I woke up the morning of September 1st, feeling sore but optimistic. I bathed and dressed before packing the last-minute items I would be bringing with me to Hogwarts. Which brings me to the birthday present I received from my father. Since mine was confiscated and sent back to him after my little escapade last year, which, coincidentally, he seemed oddly proud of, he saw fit to buy me the newest broom on the market, a Nimbus 1001. Of course, both Shari and I were overjoyed.

"Morning." I said quietly as I slid into my chair at the kitchen table, and my father mumbled something in return as Shari scooped some breakfast onto my plate. "Mmm, bacon." I muttered, staring the delicious strips down for a second before quickly wolfing them down.

"Ready for the trip?" My father asked as Shari poured me a cup of coffee.

"Yeah, I think so." I said between bites, taking a sip of the steaming coffee.

"Excited to see your friends?" Shari asked, one eyebrow raised. I had often mentioned my new friends to them, though not in detail.

"Definitely. I haven't even _heard_ from James and Sirius, and only small amounts from Remus." I said as I quickly drank the rest of my coffee and took my plate and cup to the sink.

"Ready to go?" My father asked tiredly, glancing at the clock which read 10:30.

"Yep." I said, and he took my arm in one hand before spinning on his heel.

After having my insides compressed by the apparition, I inhaled deeply, and glanced around King's Cross station, Shari and my father by my side.

"I won't be going onto the platform." This statement from my father pulled me up short.

"Why not?" He glanced around, somewhat paranoid, as if he expected someone to be listening in.

"Well...let's say, I'm not exactly inconspicuous." I paused for a second before nodding once. "Shari will accompany you to the platform." I glanced at Shari, who nodded in confirmation.

"Okay." I said quietly, and my father pulled me into a tight hug, which I reciprocated, knowing I wouldn't see him until Christmas.

"Bye." He said, and I didn't have time to reply before he had apparated again.

"Sorry." Shari said quietly as we meandered towards the platforms nine and ten.

"It's fine. Besides, I wouldn't blame you anyhow." I could feel her staring at me, but didn't acknowledge it.

"He's going to miss you, even more than you miss him." I stayed silent for a second before nodding.

"I know." I whispered sadly, before pulling myself up straight, composing my features. "But hey, at least you're here." I said as we arrived at the platform gate.

"How do we-?" She cut herself off, looking slightly embarrassed.

"We just take a run at it." She blinked, and looked vaguely afraid, before shaking her head slightly.

"Okay. Okay, here goes." She announced nervously, before approaching the barrier at a humans jog, a crawl for us. I followed close behind, though not too close, and we soon emerged onto platform nine and three quarters. Through the already large crowd, I saw Lily, Elaine, Remus, James, Sirius and Peter about to board the train, and turned to Shari.

"Well...bye." I said lamely, and she grinned at me briefly before hugging me loosely.

"See you at Christmas Judy." She told me, and I chuckled lightly at the nickname before she released me, and I set off towards the others. I glanced back at her over my shoulder, waving, and she returned it before I saw her turn around and disappear through the barrier. Turning my attention frontwards, I could see the others waiting for me, so I sped up.

"Hey." I said, and was immediately tackled with a hug from Lily.

"Hi!" She squealed in my ear, and pulled away before I could return the hug, and was replaced by Elaine.

"Relatives?" She asked quietly, and I wrapped my arms around her tightly.

"On my father's side, thank-god." I hated lying to her, but I had to.

"My turn!" Remus exclaimed as Elaine pulled away, and I pulled him into a more manly type of hug.

"Good to see you too, Moony." I said with a chuckle before pushing him away. "Now can I get on the train and sit? My legs hurt." They laughed, and parted to let me up, but it was true, my legs did hurt. We all crammed into the first empty cabin we came across, which, thankfully, was a long one.

"So, Leo, why did you tell Lily your father was taking you on a last minute vacation, and yet you told me you were going to visit some relatives?" Elaine asked, and I froze for a second.

"Because, when I sent the letter to Lily, it was a vacation, and when I sent yours, my father dragged me off to see some relatives." Elaine glared at me slightly, and I knew she knew I was bluffing, but she dropped it in front of the others.

"Oh, okay." Lily glanced at her, confused by the dull tone she sported, before turning back to me.

"And who was that woman who dropped you off?" I frowned slightly, thinking for a second on how to explain this.

"That's Shari, she's one of my cousins. My dad was busy this morning, so she agreed to drop me off." A complete and utter lie, and Elaine knew it, I could tell, but the others seemed to buy it.

"Oh? Does she same talent for picking out Bertie Botts flavours?" Elaine asked, and I narrowed my eyes at her slightly. She was asking if Shari was a vampire.

"Yeah, it was a fun summer." Remus nodded slightly, and I noticed for the first time that his nose was wrinkled. As the others conversations took over, I leaned over to him.

"What?" He glanced at me before scrunching his nose further.

"I can smell her. It's stronger than yours...worse." He explained, and I instantly pulled, back, not wanting to cause him any more discomfort.

"It'll fade soon enough." He nodded slightly, to show that he heard, but so that the others wouldn't notice.

Sad to say, I don't really know much of what happened during that train ride, seeing as after about an hour, I fell asleep with my head on Elaine's shoulder. A few hours later, she shook me awake, looking amused and frustrated.

"We're almost there, you better go change." I nodded numbly, grabbing the bag I had put my robes in before finding a bathroom to change into them. As I reached the cabin once again, the others stood outside it, and the train was rolling to a stop.

This year, since we were second years, we took the carriages up to the castle, instead of the boats like the first years. It was just like our ride at the end of last year, except in reverse.

"Ah, old memories." I said wistfully as we exited the carriage in front of the castle before holding my hand out to Elaine to help her off the high step.

"Thanks." She mumbled, and as Lily climbed out, James offered her his hand, but she simply glared at it before slapping it out of the way and jumping down. We headed inside the castle with the rest of the school, taking our seats at the Gryffindor table. We only had to wait a few more minutes before the first years entered with Professor McGonagall.

The sorting passed quickly, and everyone in the hall dug into the feast with gusto. Afterwards, we all drudged to our common rooms, most of us going straight to bed. Soon, only Elaine and I were left in the Gryffindor common room, and she instantly started questioning me.

"So, where were you really?"

"At our old house in the country, the Ellwood estate." Elaine seemed slightly surprised.

"What were you doing?" I winced slightly and considered not answering, but decided against it.

"Training. That's all I'll say, so please don't push the subject." She studied me for a second before nodding slowly in acceptance.

"Who is Shari really?"

"She's an old friend of my fathers. An _old_ friend." I emphasised, as if to point out the fact that she was a vampire. "She's helping with the training." I yawned deeply, my eyes drooping slightly.

"Why are you so tired?" I blinked at her before pushing myself off the couch. She stood up quickly as well, helping me up, and I leaned against her lightly, my arms around her shoulders for support.

"I told you, I was training." I muttered before I started heading for the boys dormitories. She slipped out from under my arm, staring at me.

"Night Leo." I turned to stare at her over my shoulder, and gave her a half-smile.

"Goodnight Elaine."

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(A/N): So, the Nimbus 1001 is actually a real broom. It isn't specified when it was brought out, but judging by the ones before an after it, I estimated it to be around 1970.

Please review and/or check out my other stories!


	36. Baloney

(A/N): Hey Guys! So, I wrote most of this at school today, during my free time. My mother bought me the Hunger Games four disc set (YAY!), and I get Hungry Jack's for tea because it's really cold and no one can be bothered cooking. Also, I cooked stirfry today in Home Ec.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Elaine, Leo, Nicholai, Quiggly, Shari and Maloney.

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Leo

The next morning, we started our first day of lessons. Exciting, right? Not really. We had potions first up, and Slughorn made us write down a few Potions, boring the living hell out of us. Next, we had Charms, where we revised the spells we had learned last year. It wasn't until we reached Defence Against the Dark Arts, that things got interesting.

"Good morning class." A tall, bald man hissed sweetly in greeting as we entered the classroom.

"What happened to Professor Swan?" I whispered to Lily, who raised an eyebrow.

"You didn't hear? She had a meltdown at the end of last year and quit." She explained, and I turned my attention back to the new professor.

"I'm Professor Maloney, and it is a great pleasure to teach you all." I rolled my eyes. Obviously he'd never heard of the marauders.

"More like Professor _Ba_loney." I said under my breath, and Lily glared at me. What was that about?

"I look forward to teaching you all you need to know about defending yourselves from the Dark Arts this year, but first, let's go around the room, introducing ourselves." I stared at him, trying to figure out I found him so…repulsive. Usually, with any person, there's a part of me that wants to feed on them, but this guy….nothing.

"Is it just me….or is there something _off_ about this guy?" Remus asked quietly, and the others glared and shushed him before turning their attention to Professor Maloney again.

"Something's _very_ off about him." I replied quietly, so the others couldn't hear, but he would, and he turned to look at me.

For the rest of the lesson, the Professor blabbered on about how it was such an _honour _to teach us, and how _great_ it was to be here, until it was time for our next lesson, Transfiguration.

"Well, at least we have Minnie next." Remus and Elaine raised an eyebrow at me. "McGonagall." I elaborated, and they furrowed their eyebrows before chuckling lightly.

"She's going to kill you if she hears that."

"If who hears what?" I recognised McGonagall's voice, and thought of a lie as we three students turned to face her.

"Lily. I was saying that James liked her, which he _does_, by the way." Professor McGonagall studied me for a second before nodding.

"Alright, into the classroom, all of you." We followed her inside and took our seats, and I made sure I sat to Remus, instead of Elaine or Lily like I usually did.

"So what do you think it is?" He jumped slightly, not having realised that I was sitting next to him, before answering.

"I don't know." I rolled my eyes.

"Very helpful." I muttered, crossing my arms before turning my attention to Professor McGonagall.

At the end of the lesson, as the others trailed out to relax now that the days lessons were over, Remus and I headed back to Professor McGonagall.

"Remus, Leo, aren't you coming?" Lily asked, sounding perplexed, and we shook our heads.

"We need to talk to Professor McGonagall for a second." Elaine stared at me for a second before nodding slightly.

"Okay, we'll see you later then." Remus and I glanced at each other before approaching Professor McGonagall's desk.

"Professor McGonagall, can we talk to you for a second?" I asked, and she blinked once before looking up.

"Leo, Remus, what are you still doing here?"

"Well….to talk to you." Remus stated, rather obviously, and she rolled her eyes at him.

"I knew that! Now, what did you want to talk to me about?" She asked, lacing her fingers together.

"The new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, ma'am." She stared at us for a second, and I feared she, like the others, couldn't see what was wrong.

"Ah yes, Professor Maloney. I thought you two might notice it, that there's something…._off_ about him." Relief flooded through my system. "It's because of your….conditions. You're more highly aware of the people around you, and sometimes, like now, it isn't always obvious what your instincts are trying to tell you."

"So you've noticed it too?" Remus asked, looking somewhat pleased, and before she could reply, I realised something.

"If we noticed it because of our conditions, how did you notice it?" She turned her head slightly to stare at me, and Remus stared at her in return.

"I'm an Animagus." At this, Remus glanced at me, but I refused to look at him. It would only look suspicious, and I really don't want Professor McGonagall finding out what we're doing. Or, well, trying to do.

"So what do you think it is about Maloney that's got us all so worked up? And why do the others react so badly when we speak up on it?" She shook her head slightly, looking confused and curious.

"I don't quite know. It could be an imperfection in his aura, or simply we don't like him….though that wouldn't be too hard." I snorted quietly in amusement and rolled my eyes playfully.

"Maybe there is something off about him….something not right, I mean. Like he has ill intentions, maybe." Remus intoned, and we turned to look at him.

"Look, I'm not saying the guys evil but….he is a little suss. What house was he in?" McGonagall thought for a second.

"Slytherin." I snapped my fingers.

"Well that explains where I've seen him before!" The other two turned to stare at me now. "Ever since I saw him, I thought I recognised him, and I just realised where!" The others waited for me to continue expectantly, maybe even a little bit impatient.

"He was a friend of my mothers!"

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(A/N): Professor Maloney is based on my ass of a maths teacher.

Please review and/or check out my other stories!


	37. Trance and Getting Help

(A/N): Hey Guys! So, I started writing this last night, and finished it today after my grandparents left. See, they came to visit, and I had to get up at 8:30. They got here at 9:30, and didn't leave until, like, five. I'm not saying I don't love them to bits, but jesus christ!

Leo's mothers name, Cipicia, is a play off the word Precipice, except pre(cipicia), and is pronounced: Seh-pee-sha (don't laugh!)

I have big things planned for this year, but I don't exactly have the time frame worked out yet.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Leo, Elaine, Quiggly, Nicholai, Shari and Cipicia.

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Leo

McGonagall's eyes widened, and she stared at me for a minute.

"A friend of Cipicia's? He's certainly bad news then." I raised an eyebrow at Minnie, silently wondering how she had known my mother's name.

"Why? Just because she's a Slytherin? I know the popular view of them but-" I cut Remus off.

"My mother is a known pure-blood supremacist." I explained, and he stared at me for a second.

"And a bitch, if you don't mind me saying." McGonagall said, making us turn to her in shock.

"Well, yeah." I agreed, and she shrugged.

"She was a few years above me in school, and she acted like she owned the place always pushing people around." McGonagall told us, and I blinked back the bitterness that threatened to surface.

"Apparently something's never change." I said under my breath, but Remus and Minnie both obviously heard it, given their slightly embarrassed looks at having accidentally listened in to a private thought.

"But what does that mean if Maloney used to be friends with her? No offence Leo, but the last time you saw here was when you were seven." No it wasn't, I wanted to shout, but I also knew I needed to keep it a secret. If they found out...well, I wouldn't like to think about it.

"Either way, he's already got Dumbledore on his side, there isn't much we can do." Professor McGonagall pointed out, and we stared the floor for a minute, trying to figure out a plan of action.

"What if we found a way to snap them out of it?" The others turned to stare at me. "Well, one second, they were normal, and then when Maloney walked in, it was like they were in some kind of trance. What if we found a way to snap them out of it?" I repeated, and they stared at me for a second like I was a genius.

"But how is he putting them in the trance? It's certainly not his looks." McGonagall, surprisingly, chuckled at Moony's last statement, and I smiled slightly.

"I'd bet it's a potion. I've never heard of a spell that can do that, and frankly, potions are more likely to provide these symptoms." They stared at me again. "You know, inducing freaky-deaky trances?" They nodded now, and I shook my head in disbelief.

"So, how do we find it which potion?" McGonagall's eyes widened, and she glanced between us.

"No. No! You two are _not_, I repeat, _not_, getting involved in this, I can't let you." I rolled my eyes at her, silently amused at her attempts to keep us out of harm's way.

"Too bad, you're stuck with us, sister. We're the only sane people left in the whole school." She stared at me for a second before looking slightly defeated.

"And what of you? Are you as stuck on this as Leo?" She asked, turning to Remus now, expecting a result.

"I don't think anyone other than Elaine could be as stubborn as Leo, but I'm certainly not going to give up on this cause." At this answer, McGonagall looked like she wanted to smash him over the head with a book, and a pang of pain went through my heart at the thought of Elaine. What were we going to do without her on our side? We weren't exactly hopeless without her, but we certainly won't as formidable as we were with her. Besides, she was one of my best friends.

"Alright then, since I can't stop you, let's go to the Library. We'll have hell getting past Irma though." She stood up from her desk, stopping as I smirked at her.

"Or we could just go to the Room of Requirement."

"Or we could just-" She stopped suddenly before staring at me. "The where?" Remus chuckled quietly, and I simply smiled.

"The Room of Requirement. Trust me, we're less likely to get caught there." She stared at us for a few seconds before nodding reluctantly.

"Alright, let's go...there." Remus and I exited the classroom, McGonagall in tow, and made our way to the Seventh floor, using conventional means, no secret passageways.

"Here we are." She examined the wall I pointed to for a second sceptically before shaking her head.

"There's nothing here." I smiled at her.

"Close your eyes." She did as I said, albeit with an awe-inspiring amount of suspicion, and I paced the wall three times using vampiric speed. "You can open them now." I said, not two seconds later, and she did so, taking a step back in shock as she noticed the large door in front of her.

"How-?" I simply grinned at her, and she stared at me before shaking her head. "I'm just not going to ask." I nodded at her before pushing the door and admitting her to the usual, super-library.

"Smart move." I heard Remus say as McGonagall caught sight of the massive room she had found herself in, her jaw slack with surprise.

"Welcome to our abode, Minnie." I swear to you, her face actually lightened up for a second, she grinned at me, before her grin turned to a glare.

"I'm going to kill you!" She screamed and I shot backward before scaling a bookshelf using vampire speed and strength, and seconds later, they were looking around, trying to find me.

"You may want to look up." I said quietly, and their heads snapped up, only to stare at me where I crouched on top of the towering bookcase.

"How did you-?" Remus started before cutting himself off with a shake of the head, remembering. "Never mind." He muttered, and I grinned.

"Aw, don't beat yourself up, Moony." I called down before jumping off the side of the book case, trying to look graceful but probably failing. I dropped into a crouch as I landed, absorbing some of the shock, and the other two stared at me in amazement.

"Well, are we going to beat this baddy, or what?" I asked with a smirk, sitting down at the table before squeezing my eyes shut, and willing for all the books on trance-inducing potions to appear on the table.

Fifty or so books landed appeared on the table in front of me, and I felt McGonagall jumped.

"We better get to work, if we want to get this figured out before he does any damage." I looked to Remus and Minnie, who nodded in affirmation.

It was time to show this guy who was the boss around here.

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(A/N): So, what did you guys think? Please, please, please review!

Also, search up Cipcia in the alternative polish dictionary.

Please review check out my other stories!


	38. Leo is also a Ninja or Sneaky Sneaky

(A/N): Hey Guys! Whoowee, it's a long one folks! I'm surprised with myself! Usually I struggle to make a chapter longer than 1,00 words, and here comes this monstrosity! Thanks for all your reviews guys!

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the potions and spells you don't recognise, and Elaine, Leo, Shari, Nicholai and Quiggly.

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Leo

It had been two weeks, even with McGonagall's help, that we had managed to figure out how Maloney was putting all the students, and teachers, under his spell. Well, not spell exactly, considering he was using a potion.

_Extaticus Parere_, to be exact. Literally translates from Latin into, "Trance, obey."

It provided all the same symptoms, and it was the only one that did. Trouble is, it's cure, Extaticus Confractus, or, more literally, "Trance Break", is extremely hard to brew, and takes months.

"Great, and we don't even have Horace to help us!" McGonagall exclaimed, thoroughly frustrated. "Not to mention I now have to spend months with you two-" We both cut her off with glares. Yes, we know, she's our elder, and she's our teacher, but would you really put up with her insulting _you_ like that? No, didn't think so.

"We'll manage. We always do." I muttered, before standing up to clear the books off the table except the one with the Potion specific information. I closed my eyes, and willed the books to their original places. McGonagall jumped, as per usual, as the books disappeared into thin air, except for the one she held in her hands.

"Yes well, we'll have to get the ingredients for this. Though...I don't know where we'd get these except for Horace's private store." She furrowed her eyebrows, and I glanced at Remus, who wasn't looking at me, before glancing at my watch.

"Oh, is that the time? We better go to bed, we have to be up early tomorrow for lessons!" McGonagall glanced at her watch before jumping out of her seat, dropping the book on the table.

"You're right, to bed, both of you!" I yawned, and let her shuffle us out of the room.

"Now, go back to the dormitories. Go!" She said, shooing us in the direction of our tower, before following us.

Remus and I made our way back to the Gryffindor dorms under the watchful eye of the good Professor, and he fell into bed exhausted, after sneaking past the boys. I hear the door lock click behind me, and shook my head.

"I have to go to the bathroom." He grunted, and a snore escaped from his mouth, and I knew he was asleep. A small smirk crept onto my lips. I entered the bathroom, locking the door behind me, before slipping the Potions book from under my shirt, into my hands. I had snuck it from the table as McGonagall was ushering us out, and now I was going to get us those ingredients.

I had hoped to do this differently, safely, but unfortunately, the lock on the dorm door prohibited that.

I pushed open the bathroom window as quietly as I could before slinging my leg over it, and taking a deep breath.

Here it is. One wrong move now, and there's no coming back from it. I pushed myself up on the sill, and turned on the thin stone ledge, latching my fingers onto the sill above it. I exhaled quietly before sighing slightly.

One step down, a whole butt load more to go.

I peeled the fingers of one hand from the top sill before reaching out to one of the shingles on the tower wall next to me, and pushing lightly to make sure it wouldn't slip around too much, before sliding the foot on the same side across the thin ledge that continued all the way around the tower.

I shimmied my body around until I was directly above the drain pipe, and bent my knees as far as I could without falling off the ledge, before sliding my right foot out slowly until only my toes were on the ledge, leaning my chest and face against the cold shingles of the rooftop for balance, and pushing my foot the last bit off, moving it downwards until it came in contact with the metal brace on the side of the drain pipe. I gritted my teeth, in both fright and determination, before starting to slide my other foot off the ledge. As my foot slipped, and I could feel myself start to lose my balance, a flash of fear ran pulsed through my veins, and my finger dug under the edges of the shingles, and I hung on only by my fingertip, the one foot already secured, and the pressure of my head and chest against the roof. I breathed shallow breaths as I fumbled my foot around in the dark, before finally making contact with the other bracket.

I breathed a sigh of relief, relaxing my grip on the shingles lightly, bending my knees further and quickly moving my hands down the slanted rooftop, before securing them again on the shingles.

I breathed in and out for a few seconds, trying to calm myself slightly before removing my left foot from the bracket, and letting it descend, using the pipe as a guide to reach the next bracket. I did this again with the other foot, before looking up, watching my hands to make sure I got this right, otherwise, I was a dead man. Boy. Man-boy.

I released the shingle with my left hand and cautiously moved it to the first bracket, and following it with the right hand.

At this point, I lent my forehead against the cold, comforting metal pole in relief, letting the freezing metal cool my sweat-drenched skin. I was taking a stupid risk, but otherwise, we might not be able to free the others from Maloney's trance. It was the right thing to do, but I was so terrified...I puffed out one last breath before removing my skin from the metal, and starting to descend, using the brackets on the side of the drain pipe as a ladder.

They probably wouldn't have supported an adult, or maybe even a normal child, but over the summer I trained to be lighter on my feet, and that was definitely helping me here.

As I reached my destination, a hallway two floors down, I leaned across to the window next to the pipe, peering through the glass to look for patrolling teachers, or worse, Peeves.

Seeing the coast clear, I pressed my fingers to the glass pane of the window, pushing on it firmly, making it open slightly, just enough to fit the end of my finger through, enough to lift the latch keeping it closed.

I wrapped my arm around the top window ledge before making a leap for it, sure I'd make it. What I didn't take into account, however, was the rounded edges of the sills. I gasped loudly in fear as my left foot, the one I was leading with, slipped off the ledge, into the free air, my right knee slamming into the stone sill hard enough to make me grunt in pain. Fear shot through my veins once more, and I tumbled through the opening by some chance of luck.

One centimetre further out, and I would've fallen, I would have died, and they would have to scrape me from the courtyard below the next morning when a poor unfortunate soul found my now pancake-flat corpse. I sighed in relief for the billionth time in the past five minutes, laying on my back for a minute, catching my breath, and letting some of the adrenaline I had accumulated to fade.

I rolled onto my side before pushing myself to my feet.

To the dungeons it is then.

A little while and several almost brushes with different staff members later, I reached Professor Slughorn's office, where he both slept, and kept his personal storeroom, the place I would need to get into if I was going to find all the ingredients.

I exhaled silently as I faced the door to Slughorn's personal chambers, before reaching for the knob, twisting, and slowly pushing the door open.

I slipped in through the smallest opening I could, and tip-toed across the room to the storeroom I could see on the opposite side of the room. Behind Slughorn's bed.

_You have got to be kidding me! _I thought, frustrated.

First I had to scale the side of the building, and now I have to make my way past Slughorn?!

I shuffled up to the bed, wrinkling my nose at the hulking, sleeping figure before making my way around to the storeroom door.

_This is it!_ I thought as I rested my hand on the doorknob, before twisting as quietly as I could, and slipping through the opening.

I was screwed if he woke up now, he'd know that I was stealing, and I'd probably be thrown out of school. _Damn it Leo, you're supposed to be behaving!_ I scolded myself, before reminding myself that it was for a good cause. Why couldn't I just let McGonagall find the ingredients on her own? She's perfectly capable! Why, why, why!?

While internally, I was screaming at my own stupidity, externally I was closing the storeroom door behind me silently.

More work, yes, but at least this way, if he woke up, he wouldn't know I was here.

"Lumos." I whispered, and the tip of my wand flared up with the usual pale white light, and I shielded the door with my back to keep the light from creeping underneath.

I pulled the book from under my shirt again and opened it, thumbing through the pages till I found the ingredients list for our potion.

Half of these things could be found in the Hogwarts grounds...but some of them, were very rare.

I scanned the shelves, and spotted the several ingredients I would need. Now I just needed something to carry them in...

Ah! I noticed some small glass jars in the corner of the storeroom, and grabbed one, moving to the first ingredient, and scooping the needed amount into the jar, before adding another scoop, so Slughorn wouldn't be able to figure out what potion we were making by the exact measurements I stole.

I quickly repeated this with the other ingredients before searching around the floor for something to muffle the sound.

"This will do nicely." I muttered almost silently as I salvaged some cloth from underneath an empty box. I wrapped the cloth around each of the glass jars, so that they wouldn't clink together when moved, before placing them all, lids secure, in the small bag I had brought with me.

Just enough to carry them, not enough to give them space to move around. Perfect.

I now turned to the rest of the jars, the ones I had taken ingredients from, and raised my wand at them.

"Duplices Facinore." I murmured, and a string of electric blue glitter floated into the jars, and the stock looked to be replenished, though I knew it wasn't. The spell was advanced, for my age, but I had been reading about all kinds of spells in my transfiguration book, and I decided to put it to the test.

Funny thing is, the book said that the spell was a different colour for everyone, based on their personality. So, why was mine electric blue?

"Nox." I whispered, and my wands light went out, and I slipped it back in my pocket before silently opening the door, and once more, sneaking out.

I made a detour to the Room of Requirement, to drop off the jars of ingredients, before wishing for more containers. I grinned slightly while I slipped them inside my bag, and made my way out again, this time heading for the grounds.

I used every secret passageway I could, and avoided all the teacher, managing to sneak outside without anyone noticing. I ran across the grounds, using the shadows to hide myself along with vampiric speed, and into the Forbidden forest.

Forbidden, yes, but most of the ingredients I still required were in there, and what did I really have to fear from the creatures of the forest, seeing as I was practically one of them?

A few hours of rummaging around in the dirt, trees, and even sometimes the sky, I managed to collect all the ingredients we needed, and returned them to the Room of Requirement before making my way back to the dorms.

Of course, seeing as I had snuck out, and the door was locked, I actually made my way back to that corridor I had first entered, sliding out onto the ledge again before climbing up the drain pipe once more.

It was easier this time, seeing as I could see where I was putting my hands and feet at all times, unlike last time, where I was climbing blind.

I quickly found myself back in the boys bathroom, and I closed the window behind me softly before unlocking the door swiftly but quietly and getting changed, carefully monitoring the boys breathing to make sure they weren't awake to hear, or see, me come in, before finally climbing into my bed, fully exhausted now, and feeling rather pleased with myself.

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(A/N: So, does it make any sense at all?

Please review and/or check out my other stories!


	39. Riddle Me This

(A/N): Hey Guys! Wow guys, thanks for all the reviews! I love you guys so much, you give the best reviews ever.

Okay, so about this chapter.

In the last chapter, Leo stole and found all the ingredients they will need to make the potion, right, and this is basically the aftermath of that. Plus, a little bit on the end to further explain Leo's condition and to make up the 1,000 word minimum I usually abide by. So, bye!

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Leo, Elaine, Nicholai, Quiggly and Shari.

* * *

Leo

The next morning, Remus and I, both exhausted, but for different reasons, ventured down to the Great hall for breakfast.

Of course, once there, we encountered a certain, extremely pissed off, Professor. I almost gulped at the sight of her storming towards us, but managed to compose myself, using that familiar, emotionless mask from my childhood, the one that had managed to keep me from many severe beatings, and hopefully now being found out by Minnie.

"Joannis, Lupin, may I see you in my office?" She asked quietly, in case anyone was listening, her usually calm voice seething.

"O- of course, professor." Remus stuttered, and I nodded, before standing up.

Five minutes later, we found ourselves in her familiar, yet somewhat uncomforting office. It was under-furnished, and lacked any sort of insight into the one that held themselves here. If I hadn't known better, I would have thought it was lacking a woman's touch, as they say.

"So, which one of you did it?" I did my best to look confused, and curious, just like Remus was, my eyebrows wrinkling.

"Did what?" We both asked at the same time, sounding rather clueless.

"Don't give me that, I know one of you did it! One of you collected the ingredients, how I don't have the faintest clue." She said, sounding both frustrated, and somewhat awed.

"I don't know about Remus but...I didn't leave the dorm after you dropped us there other than to use the toilet." I said bluntly, a blatant lie on my part.

"And I fell straight to sleep!" Remus exclaimed, as Minnie's furious eyes turned to him. I felt bad for him, seeing as this was all my fault.

"Besides, didn't I hear you lock the door last night?" She grimaced at me, and I knew I had her. "What are we supposed to have done, climbed out the window?" _Great work Leo, pass what you actually did off as a ridiculous notion!_ I was half congratulating myself, half worried that it would draw attention to it later.

"Yes, well...I don't know how, or even who, but someone collected all the ingredients we need." Remus seemed relieved that we were no longer being directly blamed. "And Horace hasn't reported any missing stock." We looked puzzled, or, at least, I _pretended_ to look puzzled, at this statement.

"Yeah, but couldn't half the ingredients be found elsewhere?" Remus asked, causing McGonagall's eyes to focus on him, and I saw she was starting to get suspicious of him again.

"Like, in the grounds or something?" She turned to look at me now, looking eloquently confused by now. Just as she locked in on one of us as the offender, the other one said something equally as incriminating, throwing her off the trail. _Brilliant Remus, brilliant!_

"They can..." She confirmed slowly, studying our faces, before continuing. "But only some of them. Others of them, however, are quite rare." She stared us down, and even I didn't know what she was getting at now.

"Which _means,_ they could only be found in Horace's personal storeroom, without going outside of Hogwarts." My eyebrows wrinkled slightly.

"But didn't you say that Professor Slughorn hasn't reported anything missing?" Remus looked equally curious as to why she was blaming us, when we obviously had nothing to do with it.

"No, he hasn't. The reason I thought it would be one of you two, is rather obvious." Ah, so she could see us wondering about that. "You two, and I, are the only ones who know about this, and when I went in there this morning, all of the ingredients we need were on the table." Remus and I glanced at each other, looking equally concerned and curious about this.

"So, riddle me this. If you two didn't do it, and I didn't do it, who else knows about our little potion plan?" We glanced between each other, looking worried, and it almost hurt to see the other two so worked up about something I had done without their knowledge.

"I hate to break this little get-together up, but I really am getting hungry." Remus and Minnie rolled their eyes at me, before standing up.

"Alright, to breakfast with you then." I shook my head as Remus started to leave.

"Not that kind of hungry." They both turned to stare at me for a few seconds before lowering their gazes. What? Spending most of the night terrified, climbing up and down buildings and foraging for ingredients doesn't exactly satisfy ones appetite.

"Alright, just be careful no one sees you." McGonagall says reluctantly, and I nod quickly before zooming from the room, surprising both of them by the shocked gasps I heard from behind me, using vampire speed to make my way through the castle, and out into the empty grounds.

_It was time to hunt._

I knew it was, because I was having trouble controlling myself, and my senses were heightened even beyond the usual levels. To the point where I could feel the rush of blood in the worms beneath the soil I walked upon, and in the birds that flew above me, in the clear and open skies. My eyesight was sharpened, but slightly blurred around the edges in contrast to the precise image I saw in the center.

It probably wasn't all that blurred, maybe it was only as good as my usual vision, but seemed blurred compared to the clearer, sharper image I saw elsewhere. I could hear everything, from the sound of the Thestrals loping, and the spiders skittering in the forest, to the dull roar of breath exuded by the students inside the Great Hall.

I could smell everything, the soil, the dust inside the castle, even the musk of Hagrid's dog, Fang, but what lured my attention, was the smell of blood as it pumped around the system of the small doe on the other side of the grounds, by the forest. It was injured somehow, I could tell, but it wasn't bleeding.

Not yet anyway.

I needed to hunt, so I did what I do best.

I used vampiric speed to approach the animal, and when I appeared directly in front of it, seemingly without warning, it took off into the forest. _Exactly_ what I had hoped for.

A small, half-satisfied, half-disgusted smile bloomed on my lips as I raced after the doe, giving it a few seconds head start so it would be a proper chase. What was I disgusted at, you ask? Myself.

Here I was, chasing down a doe for my breakfast, while other students got to live at least semi-normal lives inside the castle, eating food, not the blood of the doe I had, by now, managed to catch, and was draining.

I didn't kill it, no. I let it live, but only barely. I watched as it wobbled away from me, probably to go get eaten by a hungry acromantula. As was the circle of life.

Pfff, as if the acromantula's were a recognised part of the circle of life, even here. They're acromantula's!

I wiped the blood from around my mouth with my sleeve, before grimacing at the stain it left. I'd have to wash that, before anyone saw it.

* * *

(A/N): So, what do you think?

After the 'As was the circle of life' bit, I was going to put 'According to the Lion king anyway' but then I realised that it wasn't out in 1971 when this took place so...yeah.

Please review and/or check out my other stories!

PS: Yesterday, we suffered massive storms, and a blackout. I had to turn off my laptop, _very_ suddenly three times yesterday, and when the power went off, I was sitting on my bed, with my door open, and I swear to go there was someone standing in my doorway when the lights flicked on for a split-second.

Me and mum surrounded ourselves with all the laptops we own for light, seeing as my dad and sister had just left to go to the shops. Even the streetlights were out, and we were so freaking creeped out.


	40. Children

(A/N): Hey Guys! So, this chapter's rather short. Really short. But, it's 1 am, and I need to sleep. Besides, this year is going to be somewhat shorter than the last, I hope. I also hope you enjoy it!

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Leo, Elaine, Shari, Nicholai and Quiggly.

* * *

Leo

After lessons ended that day, we all met up in the Room of Requirement, and simply stood around the table staring at the ingredients that had '_mysteriously appeared_' there this morning.

"Well... should we get to work actually brewing this thing, or just stand around staring at it some more?" I asked quietly, and Minnie turned to glare at me disapprovingly.

"Of course, just let me pull my cauldron from my ass." She said sarcastically, rolling her eyes, and I raised an eyebrow.

"We are in the Room of Requirement, you know." Her angry expression turned sheepish.

"Right, of course." She muttered, snapping her eyes shut, and in the next second, a cauldron and a few brewing utensils appeared on the table beside the ingredients I had collected the previous night.

"Ooh, feisty Minnie." Remus teased, and she glared at him. I swear to god, she looked like she were about to actually growl at him. "Okay, okay, it's just a Leo thing then!" He backpedalled, holding his hands up in the international sign for surrender.

"I'd prefer if no one said it, but if it has to be said..." She hissed, turning to glare at me, and I simply smiled at her innocently.

"Love you Minnie!" I said sweetly, and she rolled her eyes again with a defeated sigh.

"Whatever, let's just get to work. It says here that the potion takes two months to brew, if done correctly."She sat herself in one of the chairs, and Remus and I glanced at each other before sitting in the remaining two.

"Anything you need us to do?" She shook her head quickly, very quickly.

"Min, you can't just shake your head. You know we're just going to find something to do anyway, so just let us help." I told her, and she didn't look up from the potions book, but I could tell I almost had her.

"Yeah, let us help _before_ we set something on fire." She paused before slowly looking up at us and sighing.

"Alright, alright, if the alternative is you two going pyro on me." We cheered, and high-fived once before managing to compose ourselves, but Minnie still rolled her eyes in amusement.

"You can start by chopping these, Leo. And Remus, you can mush these into a paste using the mortar and pestle." She handed me some leeches, and Remus some newts eyes, and we shared a rather disgusted look before setting to work. A quiet chuckle echoed through the room from our transfiguration Professor, but we tried our hardest to ignore her.

Over the next few hours, we got the worst jobs she could find for us, until finally, just before it was time to head to bed, we were ready to start brewing. And start brewing we did.

At this, we fell into our chairs once more, all exhausted, but on a high seeing as we were many steps closer to freeing our friends, or students, from the evil trance Maloney had placed over them.

It hurt to think that Elaine, usually outspoken and bold, was now under the control of a madman, her opinions no longer her own, her sassy tone turned blank, and pliable.

It was like they were different people, we had noticed, over the past few weeks. Everyone was changing. Sure, the changes were slight at first, but they were definitely noticeable to anyone who wasn't in the trance themselves. People's whole personalities changed! Of course, pertaining to the Slytherin's, this was probably a good thing.

"Professor, do you have any kids?" I raised an eyebrow at Remus' seemingly random question, and Minnie froze.

"No." She whispered, and I stared at her silently, a small frown upon my lips. "At least, not anymore." Oh. I tried to change the subject, to avoid revealing the heartache that was obviously hidden behind her words.

"I don't think I'll ever have children." They turned to stare at me.

"Why not?" Remus asked, and I blinked. Of all people, I thought he would have understood.

"Because if I do, they'll probably be like me. And I don't want my children to have to go through life like this." I muttered the last bit almost silently, staring at my hands, clasped as they were in my lap.

"Oh." Remus murmured, and I realised that this thought had probably never occurred to him. Aw yeah, way to go Leo, make everyone sad!

"If I do have kids though, I'll be sure to be the most embarrassing, awkward as hell dad ever." I said quietly, and Minnie smiled at me somewhat sadly.

"I think you'd be a great father. Both of you." We glanced at her, returning the smile, before turning away again, blushing slightly.

"Thanks Min. It means a lot." And this time, I wasn't lying.

* * *

(A/N): So what did you think?

_***Read This*** _

So, in my head, at some stage during her life, Minerva had a miscarriage. Or, like, her baby died during childbirth.

I know there is no record of this happening, but just bare with me, okay? It's head-canon.

And with the whole, Leo not wanting to have kids thing, I figured he'd be a lot like how Remus was when he found out Tonks was pregnant with Teddy.

Of course, Leo was trying to lighten the mood, or at least draw attention away from Minnie's painful past, and it turned out rather...wrong.

Please review and/or check out my other stories!

In microsoft word, this story is now almost 100 pages long! Yay!


	41. Hope and Pain

(A/N): Hey Guys! So, this chapter literally made me cry. Maybe I'm a big softie, but I really, really hated writing this chapter. Hope you like it!

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Leo, Elaine, Nicholai and Shari.

* * *

Leo

Today was the day we had found out what Maloney was planning to use the trance for, and the end result...wasn't good.

Remus and I were in Defence Against the Dark Arts, rolling our eyes at everything Maloney said, when he said it, out of the blue.

"But the worst things you need to look out for with Dark Arts...are the half-breeds." I swear to god, he was looking straight at us when he said this, so he knew, he most definitely knew. The worst thing though, was the fact that those in the chairs around us, those that considered us friends, allies, were nodding in agreement.

Even Elaine.

"It was crazy creepy! He says that half-breeds are the worst thing ever, and everyone just nods!" I yell, McGonagall staring up at me from her chair in the Room of Requirement, her face filled with concern, and a glint of fear in her eyes. "I hate this!" I exclaim, falling into the chair next to hers, arms crossed over my chest.

"So do I." Remus agreed quietly, and McGonagall raised her head again.

"I don't know how you feel, either of you, but I know if he starts on my being an animagus, he's going down. Hopefully that will break the trance." I lifted my head to look at her with a slightly amused smile.

"What, so we could just beat the crap out of him and hope it breaks his hold over them? 'Cos I'm all for that." She smiled somewhat indulgently, amusement written all over her face.

"For a twelve year old, you have quite the potty-mouth." I shrugged, sporting a small smile.

"It's a talent, I guess." Of course, saying that brought back memories of all the times Lily and I had said that, and it made me even more determined to stop this asshole.

"We've just got to hope he doesn't reveal our conditions to everyone else. _Then_ we're screwed, no one will ever trust us." Remus said, and we nodded silently, before returning to what we had been doing before, reading, or tending to the potion that brewed in the middle of the table in order to take our minds off the probability of this event actually happening.

"It's all we have left." McGonagall said, and we both looked up.

"What?" Remus asked, but I understood.

"Hope."

* * *

Remus

We were on our way back to the Gryffindor common room, Leo and I, earlier than usual. McGonagall had shooed us away, knowing we were exhausted and stressed from the events of today, and saying she would stay to watch over the potion until nightfall. Things were going as per usual, I guess you could say, until we ran into Elaine, that is.

"Ah, the Wonder Twins arrive." My eyebrows wrinkled, and I began to worry. Would she really say anything against us, because of Maloney's urging? I hoped not, I very seriously did, for my sake, but mostly for Leo's sake. Those two were closer than I could be with either of them, and they leaned against each other for support. I doubt it would affect me anywhere near as harshly as it would him if she were to say anything.

"Damsel." Leo greeted her, a grim look on his face as her lip curled in disgust at the sight of him.

"Don't call me that." She said, her voice dangerously low. "You have no right to call me anything." Leo winced, and I stared at her, horrified.

"Elaine-" Leo cut me off, raising a hand to me, his eyes never leaving her face.

"Stay out of this, wolf-boy." I winced, and took a step back at the vicious edge in her voice. I glanced at Leo, to see how he was holding up, and I couldn't tell. His face, it was a mask. "Leave it to the grown-ups." She said with a hint of dark amusement, and I looked to Leo for an answer.

"Stay out of it, Remus." He said quietly, and I nodded slightly, knowing he would see.

"Ooh, agreeing with me? I didn't know you had that much intelligence." Leo raised an eyebrow, and I stared at her, aghast.

"Just say what you want to say Elaine. Get it over with." The hurt in the last sentence made me stare at him now, though his face was still emotionless, blank.

"And why should I listen to you, a lowly half-breed? A monster?" I flinched, but Leo stayed perfectly still, and I could see pain and anger flash in those bright blue eyes.

"Because we're your friends!" I exclaimed, and her gaze turned to me.

"Remus." He said my name quietly, but his tone made me stop, and look at him. "Just stay out of it." He whispered, almost quiet enough so that I couldn't hear it.

"Friends? Is that what you think? You two are nothing more than a fleeting alliance I made to get what I needed." It hurt, but it made me curious. Luckily, Leo asked the question I wanted to without me having to break his 'no interfering' rule.

"And what was it you needed?" Leo inquired, still staring straight at her, his eyebrow raised. Not challengingly, but almost concernedly. He wasn't actually considering this...was he?

"Information. Now that I've gotten all I wanted, I won't be needing to spend time with disgusting, soulless creatures like you." _Like you._ Not like you _two_, but _you_. Why was she focusing on Leo so much?

"That's fine by us." Leo told her, and my head snapped round to stare at him, my mouth parted slightly in surprise.

"Fine!" She yelled, getting up into his face, a fierce glare threatening to kill anything that moved. It was lucky Leo seemed to be un-killable, then.

"Fine." He said quietly, staring her down, and she stomped a foot, somewhat immaturely, before storming off, muttering insults under her breath.

"Leo..." I whispered, and he turned his face away from me.

"I'll meet you back at the dorm later. Try not to get into anymore trouble with Elaine." He told me, his voice flat, and dead, empty of all emotion.

"Alright." I said quietly, and I'm almost sure he didn't hear me, as he started walking in the opposite direction.

* * *

Leo

I climbed to the top of the Owlery, where no one would find me, and I cried, for the first time in a long time.

* * *

(A/N): So, what did you think?

Please review and/or check out my other stories!

By the way, this story is now the longest I have ever written, chapter-wise, and is almost word-wise as well, but it's like, 1000 words short.

Thank you, for all the lovely reviews!


	42. Detention and the Plan

(A/N): Hey Guys! So, this chapter is rather short, but this is the second one I've written today, but if I wrote any more on this I wouldn't be able to stop until the end of the next chapter. So, I've returned to trying to write one chapter, and then writing another one before uploading the first. (Pfft, like that will last long!) So, likely enough, I wrote this chapter yesterday. Or, perhaps even earlier than that.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Leo, Elaine (who was a bitch in the last chapter, grrr), Nicholai and Shari.

* * *

Remus

It had been two months, to the day, since we had started the brewing of the Extaticus Confractus, and it was time to finally set it to use, that night. Unfortunately, we had a whole day of lessons to get through up until then, which meant avoiding Elaine like we had been since the incident.

I could tell Leo wasn't quite the same as he had been before that, and it was really starting to worry me. He was more distant, his face in an almost constant mask of emotionless boredom, and he was almost silently. If he made jokes, they were somewhat dull, and had a bitter edge. He was definitely being affected more harshly than me. After all, he had lost his best friend, and he couldn't talk to the other one, Lily, in fear of Elaine seeing them and telling Lily what Leo was. Or even of Lily unknowingly insulting him while stating her opinion- or, rather, Maloney's opinion- of the half-breeds of which Leo was one.

He obviously felt alone, but nothing McGonagall or I had done could make him come out of his shell. We were concerned about him, both of us.

"Can anyone tell me what the worst part about _vampires_ are?" Maloney asked, a few minutes into our lesson with him, our _last_ lesson with him, hopefully. His eyes scanned the classroom, and I was filled with dread as his eyes came to rest on Leo.

"Leonides, how about you?" Leo stared him down, before shrugging.

"I don't know sir." Maloney's eyes flashed, with anger or something else, I don't know.

"Come on now, you must have at least some idea." Leo glanced at the desk, where only I could see his fingers gripping the wood, before back up to Maloney.

"Perhaps it's the fact they drink blood. Or perhaps it's the fact that they hate discriminative pricks like you." I raised my eyebrows silently, wincing as I stared at the table we shared, knowing he was in trouble now as the rest of the class turned and glared at him. Including Lily and Elaine.

"Detention. Six-thirty, with me, tonight." Maloney said with an unnerving smirk, his pale blue eyes fixed on Leo.

As soon as lessons ended for the day, we made our way to the Room of Requirement where Professor McGonagall awaited us, a stern look on her face.

"What were you thinking?" She hissed, though her tone still somewhat soft compared to the one she would use on other students.

"I wasn't. I got mad, and I made a stupid move, but I think we can work this to our favour." McGonagall and I glanced at each other before returning to Leo.

"How so?" I asked, somewhat timidly, worried he had come up with a crazy scheme during his abnormal state.

"Well, our plan was to put some of the potion in the water and food for tonight's dinner, right?" We nodded in confirmation, still somewhat puzzled. "Well, the original potions effects would still be working for Maloney, so wouldn't it just be much more effective to just administer the potion directly to him?" We stared at him for a minute, blinking in surprise.

"That..._ actually_ made sense!" McGonagall exclaimed, and Leo frowned.

"Hey! I take offence to that." The look on his face told us that he didn't actually take offence to it, so we rolled our eyes at him.

"So, how do we get it to him?" I asked, before freezing and turning to Leo. "No."

"No way." Our Professor seconded, but Leo shook his head.

"It's our best bet. He won't be expecting it, and we need someone to check if the potion worked, therefore, they need to be around normal humans." We raised an eyebrow each, surprised at the cleverness of his plan. "So, it's settled then. I'll administer the potion to Maloney, and you two will stay in the Great Hall to check on the students." We both stared at him, still not completely sure, before he shook his head.

"Really, you two, there's no talking me out of it. Besides, Remus will look less conspicuous asking people's opinions of half-breeds than me, and if that gets out of hand, he'll need a teacher to watch his back, now won't he?" McGonagall and I glanced at each other before giving up.

"Alright, just...be _careful_." McGonagall emphasised, and I nodded in agreement with that statement.

"Yeah Leo, Maloney wanted you there, he must have an ulterior motive behind it, and I doubt it's anything good." McGonagall's eyes widened, and she shook her head, obviously regretting having already agreed while this part of the issue was being overlooked.

An hour and a half later, Leo left to make his way to Maloney's office, where the detention would be taking place, a sealed phial of the potion in his pocket, and Professor McGonagall made her way to the Great Hall with me in tow.

This was going to be interesting.

* * *

(A/N): Well, _is_ it interesting?

Please review and/or check out my other stories!


	43. Ambush

(A/N): Hey Guys! So, this chapter is also pretty short, but it has a lot of action. I got new headphones today, and they are pissing me off because they keep slipping off my head and pulling out my hair.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Leo, Elaine, Shari and Nicholai.

* * *

Leo

I knocked on the door to Maloney's office softly before taking a deep breath and exhaling, pulling my emotion-free mask on instead of the anger I was sure to feel soon enough.

"Come in." Maloney's hissing, sickly-sweet voice said through the door, and I twisted the handle to enter, pushing the door opening, only to be hit with something that knocked even me off my feet.

"Eh..." I grunted as my back slammed into the floor, and I tried to jump to my feet, only to find my arms bound to my sides with a thick, silver rope. I struggle against them as I noticed Maloney crossing the room, wand raised towards me, but I only managed to rub the skin raw where the ropes touched it.

"Sorry about that." He told me quietly, a polite yet smug smile on his lips.

"Not yet you're not." I hissed, and his smile simply widened.

"Ooh, is that a threat?" I smirked up at him, and his smile dropped slightly.

"No, that's a promise." His lips quirked up again, the smile some somewhat nervous.

"Well, I'll be sure to keep it in mind." He crouched by my arm, and brushed some of the hair off my face, to which I jerked my head away as far as I could. "Quite the sharp tongue. I still don't understand why your mother wants you back though." I could feel my eyes widening in shock and horror, but quickly prevented myself from gaping at him.

"Believe me, neither do I." I growled, trying to worm my way out of the ropes once more, as he raised his wand at me. Wait, my legs! He didn't bind my legs!

I raised my legs to my chest and his eyes widened slightly before I slammed my feet into his chest, sending him reeling back, hitting his head on the wall before slumping to the ground.

I held my breath, he was bleeding, unconscious but still very much alive.

The potion!

I felt around in my pocket with the tips of my fingers, blinking back my frustration as I found it shattered, and soaked through with liquid. I wiggled, finding the ropes looser now that their caster was out of it, and managed to push them off of me, leaving me sore where the skin was raw, but otherwise unscathed. I grabbed my wand, which was in my other pocket, and opened the pocket that had the potion in it.

"Reparo!" The phial itself reformed, and I set it on the desk, holding it upright with my free hand, before returning to the liquid in my pocket. "Accio Extaticus Confractus!" The liquid soaked into the material separated itself, and flew in a stream to attach itself to the end of my wand before pouring into the phial as I moved my wand over it.

I looked down at Maloney's unconscious face.

"For that, you get pocket potion." I told his prone figure, before prying his lips open and pouring the contents into his mouth, closing it again before holding his nose and rubbing his throat until he swallowed.

"Time to find Remmy and Minnie to see if it worked." I muttered, exiting the office, and making my way to the Great Hall.

Remus

"So, what do you think of half-breeds again?" I asked Lily, and she blinked before turning to stare at me.

"Why? I don't really _have_ an opinion on them." I glanced at McGonagall, who was pacing the floor next to the Gryffindor table, and gave a discreet thumbs up.

"What about you Elaine, what do you think of half-breeds?" Her eyebrows wrinkled, and she stared up at me, confused.

"What do you mean Moony? You know how I feel about half-breeds, they can't help being the way they are." I grinned at her, but was also slightly surprised. They must have no recollection of the past few months.

"It's good to have you back Damsel." Her confusion increased, and McGonagall appeared behind me, tapping me on the shoulder gently.

"Perhaps we should go looking for Leo now." She whispered, and Elaine's eyebrows went up.

"Why? What happened to him?" I glanced back at her before standing up, and she, Lily, James, Sirius and Peter all followed my movement, staring me down now, almost challengingly.

"Nothing, I'm sure he's fine. He's just, you know, in detention and...yeah." I finished lamely, and they stared at me like, "What, do you think we're stupid or something?"

"We're coming with you, no matter what you say." Elaine stated, before glancing at McGonagall. "Either of you." I looked to McGonagall and she sighed in defeat before nodding.

"Whatever, just move quickly." They nodded eagerly before following us out of the Great hall, moving quickly towards where we knew Maloney's office was, hoping that Leo was on his way to us, and heading down the same path.

That is, until we heard it. The sound of spells being fired, impacts, rocks falling, and the sound of a frightened yell. We glanced at each other before racing around the corner to see what we had silently been dreading.

Maloney and Leo battling in a wizards duel.

* * *

(A/N): Heh, bet you didn't see that coming!

What do you think?

Please review and/or check out my other stories!


	44. Duel and Stupidity

(A/N): Hey Guys! So, this chapter was actually pretty fun to write, but it may be a little bit choppy. It's longer than the previous ones, so yay!

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Leo, Elaine, Shari and Nicholai.

* * *

Leo

A Few Minutes Earlier

I was maybe halfway to the Great Hall when I realised Maloney was up, and following me. You couldn't exactly get the slip on a vampire, or, technically, half-vampire, especially when you were bleeding. I felt my senses heighten, and I fought them back, knowing if I didn't I would attack him. Not that he didn't deserve it but...

"You're going to pay for that." He said, and I could feel him raise his arm, just as I could feel the blood pumping through his veins, anger burning as his heart beat quickened. I heard him fire off a spell, and as if he were moving in slow motion, I dodged to the side, letting the spell barely miss me before turning to face him.

"Not like that I won't." I felt fear, an elixir almost as seductive as blood, shock through him at the sight of my darkened eyes. See, when a vampire, or, again, technically, half-vampire is thirsty, and feels the need to feed, their eyes darken from whatever colour they were.

Like with my eyes, which were usually bright blue, were now a dark blue, and my pupil expanded slightly to take in more light, making the image clearer, sharper, just like when I hunted. I felt that familiar sort of warm clenching in my chest, and the tickling in the back of my throat that told me it was time to quench my thirst.

I didn't listen to it though, instead pulling out my wand.

"Hardly going to be an even fight, is it? A pity." I grinned at him, showing off my slightly sharper pearly whites, which I knew could look somewhat intimidating.

"It is nice to have the upper hand, I must say." He scowled at me, raising his wand again.

"Reducto!" He yelled, and a shock of light blue, almost white, came soaring at me from the end of his wand, but I simply smirked at him as I easily dodged it.

"Stupefy!" He yelled.

"Flipendo." I said, pointing my wand quickly, sending the spell at him while the stunning charm continued towards me.

"Protego." I waved my wand in front of me, and the spell glanced off the invisible barrier I had made for myself.

"Stupefy!" Maloney repeated, and I side-stepped the spells. I heard footsteps, and saw McGonagall, Remus, Elaine, James, Lily, Sirius and Peter race around the corner, mouths gaping as they saw the two of us locked in combat. Maloney spun on his heel quickly, and before Minnie could raise her wand, he aimed his wand at the stone above the doorway they stood through.

"Reducto!" He yelled, and the wall came tumbling down on impact with the spell, sending the others reeling back, before disappearing as the misshapen stone wall blocked my view.

"Stupefy, stupefy!" He yelled again, and I dodged the spells with ease. That is, until the third one he had fired, using nonverbal magic, struck me in the chest.

I came to a few seconds later, to see him standing over me, his wand in my face. My vision was blurred, but I could see, or rather, hear, McGonagall hastily trying to move the rocks blocking their way.

"Avada K-" I realised what he was about to say, and things slowed down dramatically, just like they had when I was thirsty, or during our battle, but now I knew I wasn't thirsty.

I was fighting for my life.

My hand moved almost of it's own accord, gripping the wand that had fallen from my hand, and brought it upwards to point at him.

"Expelliarmus!" I felt a sort of shock go up my arm, except it wasn't painful. It was almost pleasurable, in fact, as the spell was cast. The spell, which would usually have been red, was bright, electric blue, the same blue I had seen when I had duplicated Slughorn's stock in order to hide my theft earlier in the year. I felt the power in the spell, and I was left breathless as it contacted with Maloney, throwing him across the length of the room, and through the already half demolished wall, thankfully missing those on the other side.

I blinked blearily as McGonagall and the rest appeared through the dust-filled doorway, pushing myself to my feet, wobbling slightly as I did so. I started to fall, but was quickly caught by McGonagall.

"Leo!" She exclaimed as she did so, supporting my weight, and Elaine appeared on my other side, pulling my arm over her shoulder to help balance me.

"'m fine. Just tired. Got hit with a stunning spell you know..." I trailed off, swaying slightly as Remus helped them stand me straight.

"To the Hospital wing with you." Minnie said sternly, leaving no room for arguing. "Miss Folley, Miss Evans, Mr Potter, Mr Black and Mr Pettigrew, you should either go back to the Great Hall or to bed." Remus took Elaine's place under my arm without complaint, and they had half-guided me, half-carried me out of the room before the others could protest.

McGonagall shifted my weight slightly to knock on the door to the Hospital Wing, even though by now I was having a little more luck standing. I couldn't stand on my own yet, but it was progress.

"What-?" Madam Pomfrey asked as she opened the door, before a grim smile graced her features at the sight of me. "Ah, Leo. My favourite patient. What is it this time?" She greeted, pulling the door open wider to admit us.

"He took a stunning spell to the chest." McGonagall explained as we hobbled inside, and our lovely healer raised an eyebrow.

"I'm surprised he's still not unconscious! Take a seat on the bed over there." She said the last part somewhat absentmindedly, gesturing to one of the beds closest to the door.

Minnie and Remus helped me up onto the edge of the bed in question, and I thrust my arms out behind me as I wobbled, off balance, to catch myself. McGonagall stared at me in concern as Madam Pomfrey put her face close to mine, examining me. She paused for a second, before turning to the other two.

"It might be best for you two to leave." McGonagall and Remus stared at her for a minute, and Remus started to protest, before McGonagall put her hand on his shoulder, steering him out.

"Take care of him." She said to Madam Pomfrey, almost warningly, at the doorway, before closing the door behind her, and Madam Pomfrey rushed over to lock it before returning to me.

I felt somewhat puzzled, but my mind was growing hazy.

"Leonides, drink this." She pressed something into my hand. Something cold, yet warm at the same time like...like glass, with something liquid inside. She unstoppered it, and I shivered at the smell that overwhelmed my senses.

Blood.

This vial was bigger than those previous, designed to heal me, not only to satiate my cravings. Still, I downed it in three large gulps, and everything heightened.

I felt my hands start to shake as I clenched them together, trying to override the cravings and urges now flooding my system.

_Drink. Thirst. Kill._

That's what they told me, and I fought them. Some might thinks it pointless, but I knew what it would cost me.

Remus, Lily..._Elaine._

No. I wasn't going to, and as I decided that, I opened my eyes, and upon realising I was on the other side of the room, looked up.

Madam Pomfrey. Unscathed, but looking severely terrified. I caught a glimpse of myself in the glass case opposite me, and I could definitely see why. I was in full vampire mode, my eyes darker than I had ever seen them, the colour completely gone from my skin, my teeth sharp, designed to sever skin and tissue to get to the blood I so sorely desired.

I saw, for the first time, that my fingernails had elongated slightly, and were now razor sharp. My stance was predatory, and dominative.

I stood up straight, and, looking her in the eye, said one thing before rushing out.

"That was the stupidest thing anyone has ever done."

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(A/N): So, what do you think?

Please review and/or check out my other stories!


	45. Full Moon

(A/N): Hey Guys! So, since I cheated, and updated a chapter without finishing, or even starting, the next one, this one should have been out yesterday, but I still had to write another chapter. Hope you guys like this chapter, it's Leo's PoV to start, but then the rest is in Elaine's PoV.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Elaine, Leo, Shari and Nicholai.

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Leo

It had been two days since we had stopped Maloney, two days since Lily, Elaine, James, Sirius, Peter and the rest had been freed from the trance, and they still didn't remember anything. We had told them the basics, like how they were under the trance in the first place, and Maloney had been fired after Dumbledore had found out.

I was still slightly on edge around Elaine, but not enough to be too suspicious. After all, if she didn't remember, who was I to remind her?

"The others and I were considering going for a walk around the castle tonight, want to come?" Lily asked as we walked by ourselves to our History of Magic lesson, Elaine having had to go to the loo.

"Nah, just make sure you don't go outside." I was still feeling the counter effects of the blood I had ingested but only slightly, and being around too many people, closely, was practically killing me. The reason they couldn't go outside was because it was Remus' time of the month. No, not his period you numpties, it was a full-moon.

He had grown weaker over the past two days, and I was slightly worried, but as he had said, he could smell it on me seeing as it had been right before the full moon. His smell had grown stronger as well, the musky, woodsy smell mixed with grass and dog-breath overtook the almost constant smell of chocolate that exuded from him, and I could tell it was getting close.

So no, I didn't really want Lily and the others outside when that happened.

The school day was rather boring, and much later that night, I sat with a book in the armchair by the fire, the only one left up, the others still on their walk around the castle.

I folded the edge of my page down as the Common room portrait hole opened, but relaxed and tensed at the same time as I realised it was only Elaine. Not a teacher, but not all of them back.

Where were they?

"Man, that was exhausting. They decided to go outside! How stupid is that, it's practically freezing out." I turned to stone, my eyes slowly sliding to stare at her.

"Elaine, do you know what today is?" She looked at me blankly, shaking her head. "It's the full moon." She stared at me for a second before her eyes widened and her mouth fell open in horror.

"We have to stop them!" She turned to the portrait hole, but I quickly slid one arm under her knees, catching her with the other arm as she fell over, carrying her bridal style.

"This will be quicker." I explained quickly before racing out of the Common room, through the castle and out into the grounds, using vampire speed. It wasn't as fast as usual, what with the extra weight, but it was certainly much quicker than human speed. I set Elaine down, carefully but quickly, and scanned the area for our group of friends, hoping we weren't too late.

"There!" I exclaimed, pointing at the group who were almost directly in front of us, maybe twenty feet away. I inhaled slightly, before quickly exhaling. Remus was close, and there was blood.

_Lily's._ The burning in my throat told me, recognising the scent. A plan formed in my head as I saw the figures in my head, through the blood pumping in their veins, all five of them.

"You get Lily, I'll distract Remus." I said, before using vampire speed to get to the edge of the Forbidden forest, examining the scene before me with this new angle, before moving into action as I saw Elaine approach them at a run.

Elaine

"You get Lily, I'll distract Remus." Leo whispered, before disappearing. I shook my head slightly, before racing towards where Lily was on her back in the grass, Remus rapidly approaching as the others, the boys, tried to distract it away from Lily, or tried to pull her out of the way.

Just as I reached them, wrapping my arms around Lily's chest, under both of her arms, a rock flew past, hitting wolf-Remus in the face. He whipped his head around, to stare at something at the edge of the forest, and I could recognise Leo.

I pulled strongly on Lily, dragging her backwards and away from the hungry werewolf, James and Sirius now helping me while Peter, bless him, stood in front of us, shaking like a leaf, his wand pointed at Remus.

"Hey Wolf-boy! Why don't you hunt someone your own size?" I heard Leo yell, and smiled briefly. Even in the face of danger, he was making jokes. Trying to make us laugh, reassuring us.

Worry flashed through my brain as Remus turned, and loped towards where Leo stood, but that disappeared as Leo turned also, glancing over his shoulder to make sure Remus was definitely following him before taking off into the forest. I remembered the way he had carried me here, and I was almost confident that Leo would be able to escape unscathed.

"Is he crazy!?" Sirius Exclaimed, staring after Leo, looking like he wanted to go after him.

"He'll be fine! Now, can you give me a hand here?" I snapped, gesturing to the fact that lily was struggling to get away from me, also to go after Leo.

"We- we have to help him! I'm not- not letting him get hurt because-because of me!" Lily cried, sounding close to tears at this point. James went to reach a hand out to help me restrain her, but she growled at him.

"Touch me Potter and it's the last thing you'll ever do!" Sirius rolled his eyes, and for a second I marvelled at his bravery as he grabbed Lily's wrists, pulling her upright in a flash, wrapping one arm around her waist to keep her back pinned to his chest, holding her slightly off the ground so she couldn't stomp on his feet.

"He'll be fine!" I reiterated, before glancing down at Lily's leg, which had a rather large amount of blood on it for the reasonably small scratch I could make out. "You won't be if we don't get you to the Hospital wing, though." Lily looked defeated enough, so we managed to drag her, quickly but carefully, back into the castle.

Avoiding the teachers was easy enough. After all, we'd been doing it all night. When we reached the Hospital wing though, we had to wake up Madam Pomfrey.

I swallowed, slightly nervous, before knocking on the door, loudly enough to hear in case she was asleep.

"What the hell are you _doing_ here so late?" Madam Pomfrey questioned, before catching sight of Lily's leg and rolling her eyes. "Just go put her in bed four." Sirius nodded, carrying Lily over to the supposed fourth bed, and I leaned against the one opposite hers.

"By the looks of this, I'd say Leo will be coming in soon, am I correct? He always seems to have something do with the somewhat dangerous shenanigans around the castle." She told us, glancing at the now open door before setting to work on Lily's leg.

"What happened?" Lily's eyes widened, and she shook her head, refusing to answer, and Madam Pomfrey turned to me. "Well?" I lowered my gaze.

"It was a werewolf, ma'am." I told her politely, and she nodded, not seeming all too surprised.

"Well, technically, this was a rock." We turned to stare at Lily, who gestured to her leg. "I slipped and cut it on a rock while trying to...you know, escape." We nodded understandingly, and madam Pomfrey pulled out her wand, pointing it at Lily's leg.

"This won't hurt a bit, dear." She told Lily comfortingly, before murmuring something, a warm light coming from the tip of her wand, and, in seconds, Lily's leg was healed. "There, all done.

"The werewolf..." James said, and we turned to stare at him again, as his gaze was plastered to the floor. "It was Remus, wasn't it?" My eyes went wide, and I saw madam Pomfrey's follow suit.

"How long have you known?" She asked quietly, and James shrugged.

"We had our suspicions." Sirius told her, and she looked to me.

"How long have you known Elaine? You didn't seem all that surprised by that." I felt the others staring at me, and I shrugged slightly, avoiding their eyes.

"Since early last year. Leo knew before I did, though." I glanced up, and I saw the shocked looks ont heir faces.

"Was that why you spent so much time away from us?" Lily asked, and I frowned.

"Pertaining to that, yes, but not that specifically." I said cryptically, and Pomfrey stared at me for a second longer.

"What about Leo?" Lily asked, her eyes wide, and scared. "What if he's hurt, or...or dead?" She whispered the last bit, and i snorted, trying to reassure her with the confidence I didn't really feel.

"It's Leo, Lily. I don't think he's dead." I told her, and another voice, a familiar one, spoke up from the doorway.

"I don't even know that I can die Lils." It was Leo. He was wearing a cloak he hadn't been before, and I assumed it was to hide his injuries to the others. They must be pretty severe then.

"Okay, everyone out. Let me work in peace." Madam Pomfrey commanded, and Lily beamed at Leo before James and Sirius led her from the room before she could complain. Peter shut the door behind them, but Pomfrey was still staring at me.

"That means you too, Miss Folley." I rolled my eyes at her.

"I don't care. I'm staying, and you can't stop me." I glanced at Leo for support but he only shrugged at Madam Pomfrey.

"If she wants to stay, I say we let her." I smiled at him, before pushing him lightly towards the closest bed. He smiled at me, almost indulgently, before turning to Pomfrey.

"Let's get this over with." At this familiar phrase, memories came flooding back. I stared at Leo in horror as I remembered insulting him, calling him a _monster_, all those weeks ago. Why was he still being friends with me, after that?

I slipped my hand into his, and he smiled a surprised sort of smile up at me before wincing as Pomfrey pulled off the cloak, revealing the deep scratches and the rather larger bit mark on his shoulder.

"Holy crap." I uttered, and Leo chuckled slightly.

"Bugger's fast when he wants to be."

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(A/N): So, what do you think? Were you worried that I had killed Lily?

Please review and/or check out my other stories!


	46. Hospital Wing Confidant

(A/N): Hey Guys! So, I wrote most of this chapter at home, but the end of it I wrote while at school. Yeah, maths was boring as hell. The real Maloney is here being all tyrannical.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Leo, Elaine, Shari and Nicholai.

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Remus

I woke up the day after the full moon in the Hospital wing, sore all over, but that was pretty much the usual. I remembered what I had seen my wolf-self doing the previous night, and winced as I sat up, searching the room for Leo.

I frowned at first, upon seeing him in one of the hospital beds, but what I noticed then made me grin. Curled up to his body on the bed, his arm around her shoulders was Elaine. One arm was splayed across his chest, but his other arm was limp, and dead straight. My smiled drooped again as I saw the bandages snaking their way across his shoulder, chest, arms, and even one of his legs.

I stared at the bandages on his shoulder that concealed the bit mark I knew I had left. A few inches further, and I would've taken his head clean off. I could tell that the wounds on his chest and arms were deep furrows made by the wolf's claws, but the on his leg there was another bite, this time nowhere near as deep, only a graze of the teeth.

I knew, that he must be in a lot of pain. When I was first bitten by a werewolf, I was in agony, and not just because of the disease spreading through my veins.

I knew Leo couldn't be turned into a werewolf, but I also knew he would feel the same pain. That I had _inflicted_ that pain on another, onto my best friend.

What sort of person was I?

_I wish I had a camera ._I thought absently as I watched Leo and Elaine, curled around each other, her comfortingly, him protectively. They really were the perfect pair.

Like yin and yang.

"Awake already Rems?" I heard Leo ask, his voice somewhat hoarse, and I turned my head slightly to look him in the eye.

"I'm sorry." I whispered, knowing he would hear me.

"You don't have to apologize Remmy, we've all had our moments." He glanced to Madam Pomfrey's office door, which was shut. "Moments where we've had no control over our actions." He whispered, glancing down at Elaine, before brushing a lock of hair from her cheek almost gingerly, as if he were worried he would hurt her.

"Why were they out there?" I asked him quietly, referring to Lily and the others, and he understood.

"They were just going for a walk. Don't worry Remus, they're all unharmed. Lily had a small scratch on her leg from a rock, but nothing beyond that." I turned my head to stare out of the window, across the now illuminated grounds.

"Elaine told me that they know." I didn't move, I didn't have the energy to care.

"That's nice." I said breezily, before rubbing my eyes with my fingertips. "How'd they take it?" He glanced down at Elaine, his eyebrows furrowing slightly as if he were trying to remember her exact words. Which, probably wasn't a stretch seeing as he probably had everything she said memorised by now.

"Surprisingly well. Apparently they had their suspicions about it, but weren't really sure about it until last night." I nodded slowly, taking it in, before sighing.

"You got bunged up pretty bad, didn't you? It was a stupid thing to do...but definitely a brave one."  
He raised an eyebrow at me.

"I wouldn't have been able to live with myself if I had just sat by, not doing all I could to make sure the others were safe." He glanced down at Elaine again. "It's what I'm built for. Getting hurt, so the others don't have to." I remembered the words Elaine had thrown at him during the fight when she was under the trance, and the contrast was shocking when it was compared to the gentle expression on their faces now.

I knew it had killed when they fought, and I knew it would kill her when she found it out. If Leo let her find out.

"Do they know about you?" I asked, and he glanced up at me again.

"No. Didn't give them any reason to." I raised an eyebrow.

"What about your wounds? Surely they would know that no full human could stay standing with those." He smiled a small, bitter smile, before gesturing to a cloak that was dumped on the floor unceremoniously.

"I hid them. It wouldn't really do me any good to raise their suspicions, would it now?" I blinked and shook my head, thinking.

"Are you ever going to tell them?" I asked him quietly, genuinely curious.

"Maybe." He said, turning his head slightly to look out the window behind me. "If the time is right, or they find out on their own." I smiled slightly, glancing down at the thin covers of the Hospital bed, picking at the material lightly.

"I would have told them, I think. I just wish the decision hadn't been made for me." Leo frowned, staring at me.

"You-" He was cut off as Lily, James, Sirius and Peter burst through the doors, Lily launching herself at...me? She wrapped her arms around my waist, and I sat there, frozen for a second before cautiously hugging her back.

"I don't blame you Remus." Lily whispered, and from over her shoulder, I met Leo's gaze, knowing he had heard her. He heard everything.

Lily pulled away and stood with the others at the end of the bed, staring at me with a look of concern. I saw, over James' shoulder, that Elaine had jolted awake as soon as the others had burst in, and Leo was steadily avoiding looking at her, and I did the same, knowing she would be embarrassed if she knew that anyone had seen her in her vulnerable position curled to Leo's side.

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(A/N): So, what did you think?

Have to go, my school laptop is running low on battery!

please review and/or check out my other stories!


	47. Wounds and Apologies

(A/N): Hey Guys! I wrote this as soon as I got home from school, so it's two chapters in one day. I finished the last one in my double maths lesson this morning, with the real Maloney yelling at everyone in the background. Then I had metalwork, and I'm pretty sure I'm going to fail considering I only finished one of the two required projects. Then Humanities, where we had this seminar thing on how to use the computers (we had the exact same one last term), and then Drama, which I'm pretty sure I'm going to get an A in considering I'm the only one who actually participates. We watched a movie today, which everyone had seen in Drama last year, so my teacher basically let us do whatever we wanted.

Burrito's! (it may seem random, but I'm actually having them for tea!)

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Leo, Elaine, Nicholai and Shari.

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Leo

Madam Pomfrey had rushed the others out as soon as she woke up, and Elaine pretended to still be asleep next to me as she went to kick her out to, a wise move considering Pomfrey just smiled down at her before moving on.

"She's gone now." I whispered, and Elaine lifted her head. That is, just before Madam Pomfrey bustled back, in. Elaine rubbed her eyes and pretended to yawn, acting like she had only just woken up.

"Ah, miss Folley, you're up. If you don't mind, I need to take Leo off your hands for further examination." Elaine blushed slightly, removing her hands from where they had been placed on my stomach, and I simply stared up at Madam Pomfrey.

"Okay." I told her, pushing myself off the bed using the arm that didn't have the bite. I wince slightly as the bandaged scratches panged, but continued moving, not wanting to alert them about my weakness.

Pomfrey led me to the other side of the room, and instructed me to sit on the bed, before pulling the privacy screen around us. She started peeling back the bandages, concentrating, her lips pursed and eyebrows drawn together in a line.

"I'm sorry. About the last time I was here? It must have been quite...frightening." I finished lamely, and she dropped the bandage into the bin next to the bed before looking at me sternly.

"Don't blame yourself, it was my own fault. I shouldn't have... it _was_ as stupid thing to do." She agreed, and I smiled slightly, before wincing as her fingers brushed the edge of the bite gently.

"It's paining you, quite badly isn't it?" I nodded, worrying my bottom lip between my teeth in order to avoid looking down at it. "That's to be expected, but I'll see what I can find to stop the pain." She pulled back the screen, and entered her office, and I could feel Remus and Elaine's gazes on me, but I avoided them.

"What happened the last time you were in here?" I raised my eyebrow, staring at the floor as Remus asked this, shocked that he had actually heard me.

"I thought I was supposed to be the one with super senses." I stated quietly, picking at the edge of the flimsy hospital clothes I had to wear. Mine were trashed, and these didn't rub against my wounds, so I didn't mind. They weren't the typically hospital gowns, but a sort of cheap cotton that was soft, yet ultimately uncomfortable.

"What happened?" Elaine reiterated, her tone leaving me no room to worm out of this.

"I may or may not have attacked her." I whispered, sounding guilty, even to my own ears. I heard Remus gasp, but Elaine remained silent, and I assumed she hadn't heard.

"How?" Elaine turned to stare at him.

"What? What did he say?" She asked impatiently, but he held his hand up to stop her.

"She gave me a vial of human blood, and in company with the out of it-ness I was feeling, I lost track, and almost attacked her." I whispered this again, and Elaine glanced between the two of us before stomping her foot as Remus let out a sigh of relief.

"What?!" She exclaimed, staring at me now, hoping for an answer. I met her gaze with sad eyes before returning to my picking.

"At least you didn't." Remus said, and Elaine remained silent this time, staring at me concernedly.

"Yeah." I murmured as Madam Pomfrey re-entered the room, fresh bandages and a vial with milky white liquid inside in her hand. She closed the privacy screen again, and set the bandages by my knee before tipping a small amount of the liquid onto my bite.

I hissed at the burning sting that pulsed from the area, my hands fisting the crisp white sheets of the hospital bed.

"Sorry." Pomfrey said absently, her mind clearly on her work as she quickly wrapped a clean bandage around the wound before turning to the next one, doing the same to all of the wounds.

"Well, that was a breath of spring air." I said as Madam Pomfrey pulled back the privacy screen, and I could tell Remus and Elaine had heard my hisses of pain as they were avoiding my eyes.

"Relax you two, he's my best patient. I'm not exactly going to inflict pain on him un-necessarily." At this, Remus looked even more down-cast, and I elbowed Madam Pomfrey in the ribs lightly.

"Relax Remmy, stress is slowly killing you." He smiled slightly at the familiar phrase. "Besides, it didn't even hurt that bad, I'm just a pussy." Elaine snorted, trying to smother her laughter with a hand, and Remus grinned somewhat sadly.

"Yeah, you are." He said quietly, and I knew he didn't mean it. In fact, it sounded like he meant the exact opposite of that.

"Come on, Madam Pomfrey said we can leave." Pomfrey opened her mouth to protest, but aimply frowned and waved a hand in defeat.

"Just take care of them, Miss Folley. And please, boys, try not to get into anymore trouble." I grinned at her, and exited the Hospital wing with a salute in her direction.

"Let's go find Lily, I'm sure she'll be worried about you Leo. After all, she only had time to glance at you before Pomfrey kicked them out, and I doubt she missed all those bandages." I grimaced, touching the bandage on my shoulder gingerly, only to find the area numb. I mentally check the rest of the wounds, but I couldn't feel them either.

"Let's." I agreed, smiling at the thought of seeing our other friends again.

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(A/N): So, I realised that Snape hasn't been in it since like, the start of first year, so he's going to reappear soon.

What did you think?

Please review and/or check out my other stories!


	48. Friendship

(A/N): Hey Guys! So, this is the first chapter I wrote tonight, and I have just finished the next one, which is from James's PoV! (Yay!) So, remember how I said I hadn't seen Severus in a while? Well, here he is!

Nacho's (continuing in the train of randomness of last chapter, this is what I had for tea tonight!)

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Leo, Elaine, Nicholai and Shari. Even though I really like writing from his PoV, I don't own James Potter.

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Lily

I had parted from the boys after visiting Remus in the Hospital wing, hoping to get down to breakfast early enough to see Sev. I feel like I haven't seen him in months!

I spotted him roughly in the middle of the Slytherin house table, and made my way to him, cautiously avoiding the other Slytherin's as they gave me glares usually filled with disgust.

"Hi Sev." I said quietly, and he looked up from his seemingly finished breakfast with a smile.

"Morning Lily." He said brightly, for him anyway. He stood up, climbing over the bench so that he was on the same side as me. "Do you want to go for a walk around the grounds? It's a beautiful day." I thought about it for a second, remembering last night's incident, before nodding carefully.

"Sure Sev, that sounds like a wonderful idea." I forced out, before joining him as he started to exit the hall. We made it out to the grounds, and started to walk in a non-specific path, not really caring where we ended up.

"I feel like I haven't seen you in a while. Or Leo." He tacked on the end, and I nodded slowly.

"Yeah." I agreed, remembering how Remus and Leo had told us about the trance our Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, professor Maloney, had put us in. I remembered flashes, here and there... All of us, badmouthing half-breeds, even Elaine... that must have really hurt Remus' feelings. "We've both been pretty busy lately, what with all the homework we've been getting." I excused lamely, and he stared at me.

"I've managed to finish my homework in order to spend time with you. What gives Lily, I thought we were supposed to be friends? Even before Leo wormed his way in!" I glared at him, mouth open in shock.

"'_Wormed his way in_'?!" I yelled, my glare intensifying as he tried to backpedal. "Are you crazy?" I asked, and he shook his head, placing his hands up in order to placate me.

"I didn't mean it like that Lily. I guess I've always just been a little jealous of the way you two interact." I stared at him, my gaze softening. "You two have this amazing connection, and you just..._understand_ each other better, and it makes me feel sort of...left out." He continued, and I smiled at him lightly.

"You're still my best friend." I told him, before hugging him loosely. It was true, he was _one_ of my best friends. It was also true, however, that if I had to choose, I would say Leo is my best friend. Because Sev is right, he does understand me better.

"Thanks Lily." Sev told me quietly as I released him, and I beamed at him, genuinely.

Elaine

Remus, Leo and I sat in the Room of Requirement, researching animagi for the first time in months. They told me everything that had happened during the time we normal students were in Maloney's trance, with the exception of the argument I now remembered having with them. Or, to be specific, with Leo. Because, let's be honest, Remus wasn't really allowed to participate all that much.

I glanced at Remus before nodding towards the door with my head inconspicuously, feeling a tad guilty as he got up to leave.

"I'll go get us some food." He said, and Leo lifted his head, glancing at me before nodding to Remus.

"Have fun." He said quietly, and Remus paused for a second before nodding in return, and exiting. "So, what did you want to talk to me about?" That's one of the good and bad things about Leo. He understands a lot more than he lets on. Of course, he could have realised what I was thinking by the fact that we were in the Room of Requirement, where food could simply appear.

"Leo...I remember everything. The fight...everything." I whispered, and he lowered his eyes to the table. I stood up and walked over to him cautiously, placing a hand on his shoulder almost gingerly. He didn't shrug it off, so I figured he didn't hate me completely.

"I'm so, _so_ sorry." A quiet sob wracked my throat on the second so, and he turned his head slightly, before sliding an arm around my waist, and pulling me into the chair next to his, wrapping the other arm around me as well, ignoring the fact that I was now openly crying into his shirt.

"Relax Ghislaine, stress is slowly killing you." I don't know why he always used that phrase when someone was upset or freaking out, but I knew this was the first time he had used my real name. It sounded nice, when he said it, and it made me not really mind that he had.

"Shut up Leonides." I whispered back, and he chuckled lightly, the rumble echoing through his chest.

"Oooh, feisty Damsel." I smacked him lightly on the arm, resting my head on his shoulder as I sniffled.

"How do I get you to forgive me?" I asked quietly, hoping it was too low for him to hear, but it was truly a foolish sentiment.

"Damsel, I forgave you weeks ago. Hell, I pretty much forgave you straight after it happened." I gave a relieved, breathy chuckle.

"So what, no crying?: I asked quietly, jokingly, not expecting the answer I received.

"There was a little crying." He admitted, and I snapped my head up to stare at him. He looked down at me, not really seeing what was wrong with that statement.

"I made you cry?!" I exclaimed, outraged at myself, trying to stand up before he pulled me back down, running a thumb over my cheek, brushing away the tears I had shed earlier.

"You're crying right now." He retorted, and I frowned at him.

"Yeah, but you didn't make me cry." I tried to get up again, but he pulled me back once more.

"Would it make you feel better if I made you cry?" He asked sarcastically, and I nodded.

"Yes." He stared down at me before laughing.

"Don't ask for tears Elaine, you'll shed enough of them through your life to be sick of them." He told me philosophically, pulling me to his chest, pressing his lips to the top of my head.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" I whispered into his shirt, confused, but I knew he had heard me when another chuckle reverberated through his chest and into my body.

"It means I'm going to try my hardest not to make you cry."

* * *

(A/N): So, what did you think?

Spoiler Alert: He eventually breaks that promise in the last line.

Please review and/or check out my other stories!

By the way, I started a new fanfic, a Stick it/Maximum Ride crossover, which you can find on my page, and I now have thirty stories in total!


	49. Discussing and Pillow Fight

(A/N): Hey Guys! Look, it's James's PoV! So, I uploaded the first ten chapters of this story to . I laugh at this story way too much for my own good. Seriously, I'd start to question whether I was high, but I don't do drugs. Guys, I can't help it. I laugh at my own jokes, I'm a horrible person for doing so. I love the first line too much for my own good. I actually really like writing from James's PoV. I wrote this chapter, and the last one, and part of the next one during the time my internet wasn't working, so...under an hour?

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Leo, Elaine, Shari and Nicholai!

* * *

James

Leo, Remus and Elaine were missing again, presumed researching.

I called Lily, to a meeting with the remaining boys in my dorm, Sirius and Peter, to discuss their motives.

"Why did you call me up here? Not to be rude, but it's smells like a locker room." Lily asked loudly, and Sirius flicked one of his dirty socks at her, which she dodged with a glare.

"How would I know? Ask James Almighty over there." Sirius replied, and they turned their eyes to me. I cleared my throat quietly before talking.

"Well, as you've probably all noticed, Remus, Leo and Elaine are all missing." I gestured to Remus and Leo's empty beds before nodding to Lily.

"Actually, we hadn't, because we're all blind as my aunt Martha." Peter retorted, and I rolled my eyes at him.

"We had, go on James-y." Sirius said, and I nodded, ignoring the nickname he had giving me.

"Well, as we all know, they're researching animagi, right?" They all nodded, and Evans raised an eyebrow.

"Right, but what does this have to do with us?" I grinned at her, feeling a joke coming on.

"Why, Lily my dear, everything is to do with us!" She sighed, rolled her eyes and stood up, starting to move towards the door before I grabbed her hand. Pulling her back onto Leo's bed, knowing that's where she'd feel most comfortable in a room full of boys.

"Sorry." I told her apologetically, and she seemed a little surprised. "Couldn't help myself." I added, before folding my arms over my chest and returning to the issue at hand, trying to be the responsible one now that Moony wasn't here.

"Well, why?" They stared at me, confused. "Why are they researching animagi?" I explained with a sigh, and they all made noises to show they understood.

"Well, we've never really discussed it." Peter chimed in, and I nodded, pointing to him.

"Exactly! And maybe it's time we did." I sat down on my bed, which was across from Sirius's, glancing around at the others, who nodded slowly.

"Well, maybe it's really because of OWL's, like they said." Peter suggested hopefully, but even he knew it wasn't true.

"Ah, poor, naive Peter." Sirius said with a shake of the head.

"Well what do you think it is Black?" Lily asked, standing up for Peter, who smiled at her somewhat weakly. Pete never had been big on smiling.

"I don't know, but it's probably got something to do with the fact that Remus is a werewolf." We stared at him, silently cursing at our own stupidity. At least, I know I was.

"Oh. Right." Lily said quietly, staring down at her lap, and I watched her concernedly.

"Maybe it's to distract him from attacking people." Peter suggested carefully, glancing at Lily, who shuddered lightly at the thought.

"I hope not. When we were in the Hospital Wing...did anyone else notice the amount of bandages Leo had on him?" We glanced at each other before shaking our heads, curious now.

"From what I could see, he had one on his shoulder, a few on the rest of his arms, some on his legs, and I'd bet there were a few on his torso just from the way he was sitting. He looked in _pain_." She whispered the last bit, glancing up from her lap to make eye contact with us.

"Reckless, but brave." Peter said, and Sirius nodded.

"That's definitely one way to describe him." I continued to stare at lily, wanting to ask her if she was okay, but not wanting to draw attention to her distress. Eventually, I decided. I picked up one of the extra pillows we had heaped in a pile in the middle of the room, before chucking it at her gently. It smacked her in the shoulder lightly.

"Oi." She said quietly, staring at me, her eyes glinting slightly with anger and confusion. I chucked another pillow at her, just as lightly, and she snatched it out of the air before throwing it back at me, hard. The impact made me fall backwards onto my bed, and she looked somewhat worried before I laughed loudly.

"Pillow fight!" I yelled, and Sirius and Peter both picked up some of the spare pillows, hitting each other with them. I took the advantage to make my way to Lily's side.

"Are you okay?" I asked her quietly, and she looked slightly shocked before nodding. "Good." I said firmly, before grabbing one of the fallen pillows and rushing into the fray, her following after me a minute or two later.

* * *

(A/N): My view on this is that while James is a twat around Lily most of the time, there are times. like this one, that make her question whether he's all bad. She mostly thinks he is, up until sixth or seventh year, where he becomes more responsible, and that's when she falls in love with him.

You'll probably notice that there is a lot of Peter in this chapter, and he seems to have mysteriously grown some balls. Well, I figure, Peter couldn't have been as whiny and pathetic as people describe him, otherwise he wouldn't have been put in Gryffindor, or someone would have known not to trust him. Or the other Marauders would have thought him a loser.

Please review and/or check out my other stories!


	50. Sassy Sassy Idiot

(A/N): Hey Guys! So, I love this chapter. You know how you guys say that they act like 16 year olds instead of twelve year olds? Well, you see a lot of that this chapter. I also wrote this tonight, which means that's three chapters in one day! Chapter fifty is a go!

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Leo, Elaine, Shari and Nicholai.

* * *

Leo

Remus and I opened the door to our dorm before staring around in both shock and amusement at the sight before us. James, Sirius and Peter collapsed in the middle of the room on the now depleted pile of spare pillows, the others pillows scattered around the room, and Lily curled up on Leo's bed.

"Well, I guess I'm sleeping on the floor then." I said quietly, and I could tell Remus thought I was joking, but I wasn't. I pulled the covers over Lily as she shivered, and grabbed one of the spare sheets and spare pillow before curling myself around it on the ground beside my bed.

"What the hell are you doing?" Remus asked, sounding curious and much too amused for my liking as he stood over me, staring down.

"What's it look like? I can't sleep in my bed," I gestured to Lily. "I can't sleep in theirs because of the smell," I gestured to the boys, and Sirius twitched in his sleep, like a dog who was dreaming of a chase. "So, I'm sleeping on the floor." He rolled his eyes, pulling me off the floor.

"Come on." He said quietly, leading me out of the room, switching off the light as he went, and down into the Gryffindor common room where Elaine was still sitting.

"I thought you were going to bed." She stated, her voice full of curiosity, confusion, and disapproval. "You aren't doing anything wrong are you?" Remus shook his head, and I shrugged, looking as confused as she did.

"Come on, we're going back to the Room of Requirement." Elaine glanced at me, and I shrugged again.

"I don't know what he's doing." I said, and Remus rolled his eyes.

"I'm finding somewhere for us to sleep, dumb-dumb." He explained, and Elaine and I raised an eyebrow at each other.

"I was fine in my own bed." Elaine stated, and Remus simply sighed.

"And I was fine with sleeping on the floor." I tried to protest, but Elaine's head whipped around.

"Sleeping on the floor? Uh-uh, I agree with Remus. It can be like a sleep over." Remus and I both rolled our eyes.

"No offence Elaine, but I'm kind of hoping to sleep, not get my nails done." She glared at him.

"I meant in the literal sense you ass." Remus looked somewhat sheepish, and I grinned at her.

"I wouldn't say no to getting my nails painted." I joked, and she rolled her eyes at me with an indulgent smile.

"Of course you wouldn't. They'd be bright blue, like your eyes." Remus said dryly as we reached the room of requirement, and he paced the wall three times, eyes closed, before throwing the door open to reveal three large beds facing each other in a circle in the middle of the room. A fireplace flickered in the corner, and I grinned again.

"Wow Moony, you're so romantic. You could have at least wined and dined me first though." He rolled his eyes, and Elaine smothered her snickers with the back of her hand.

"Shut up you wanker." My grin disappeared, and I pretended to look offended. I flipped my imaginary hair and huffed.

"Baby, why you gotta be so cranky?" I asked in a girls voice, hand on my hip, and Elaine snorted before falling onto one of the beds, laughing hard. Remus pursed his lips before sitting on the edge of one of the beds.

"Just go to sleep, you sassy, sassy idiot." I smirked at him before flopping onto my bed.

"Yes, this will do nicely." I said conspiratorially, causing the others to glance over at me with a look of worried suspicion.

"For what?" Elaine asked concernedly, and I grinned at her.

"For sleeping, of course." The other two looked somewhat relieved yet uncertain.

"Why were you going to be sleeping on the floor anyway Leo?" I glanced at her again, before smiling.

"Lily was asleep on my bed, and the boys were passed out in the pillow heap. I couldn't sleep in their beds because of the smell and ew, who the hell would want to sleep in Sirius's bed- Don't answer that!" I screamed as Remus raised a hand to reply, and he dropped it. "Speaking of which, I'll probably have to wash my sheets to get Lily's smell out of it." Elaine looked confused.

"What, afraid of the cooties?" I froze and looked at her before glancing at Remus.

"No, afraid that after having her smell in my nose overnight, that I'll snap and kill her." I said bluntly, and it was her time to freeze. She looked ashamed at her slip, but I shrugged. "Don't worry about it. As long as I wash my sheets, we'll be fine." Remus rolled his eyes.

"Oh goody, our fate rests in the balance of a young boys hygiene. We're doomed." Elaine laughed lightly, and I frowned at him.

"Now that's just plain rude." Elaine glanced at me from her position almost opposite me in the circle, and I avoided her gaze, knowing she was looking.

"So what do you think they were all doing in there?" Remus's eyebrows furrowed.

"There were pillows strewn everywhere, so I'm guessing a pillow fight." I stared at him, thinking back to the room.

"They were talking, about us I presume, and James threw a pillow at Lily, Lily threw one at him, he declared a pillow fight, and they started you know, having a pillow fight." The other two stared at me and I avoided their eyes.

"How do you know that?" Remus asked, and I could feel Elaine's eyes echoing his question silently.

"You don't want to know." I glanced up as they started to protest, looking for an answer. "No, you _really_ don't want to know." They didn't know that I could see their moves, even ones made previously, just by taking a whiff of them, and I didn't particularly want them to. After all, if it was scary for me, how would they react?

They let the matter drop, and we talked about non-sequential things until, one by one, we drifted into a peaceful, uninterrupted.

Or, well, at least two of us did.

* * *

(A/N): So, what did you think?

Leo's ability is the one that has shown up briefly in previous chapters, where he's been able to _feel_ someone move because of how he can sense their blood. he used this on Maloney, and I think a few other times too.

Please review and/or check out my other stories!


	51. Nightmares and Stink Pits

(A/N): Hey Guys! So, this chapter was pretty fun to write, and I hope you like it.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Leo, Elaine, Nicholai and Shari.

* * *

Elaine

_My breath came out in pants as I cowered inside the small cupboard, and I could hear his footsteps getting closer. I stopped breathing all together as I saw his shadow fall across the side wall of the cupboard, through the gap between the door and the actual cupboard. I shuddered as he paused, just outside the door, sighing in relief silently as he started to walk away. That is, until he pulled the door open and wrenched me out of the cupboard. _

"_Let me go!" I yelled, struggling against his grip._

"_Stop moving!" He bellowed his breath stinking of the ever present liquor, and I saw my mother lying on the floor as my father pushed me into the Living room._

"_Mom..." I whimpered, and she lifted her head slightly at the sound of my voice, and I was surprised to see her alive. I crawled across the carpet to curl up at her side, trying to protect her. _

"_You better be here when I get back...or else." My father threatened, throwing the mostly empty beer bottle he held at the wall, and I screamed quietly as it shattered on impact. He exited the room, and seconds later we heard the front door close. _

"_Come on." My mother said as she stood up, quickly but carefully, holding her side, and I gaped at the bruises on her face. _

"_What are you doing?" I asked quietly, surprised. Usually we waited for him to return, too scared to disobey him. _

"_We're leaving this place, for good." She told me firmly, staring down at me like she expected me to argue. Instead, I grinned at her._

"_I'll help you pack." _

_We were getting ready to leave when my father stumbled through the door, and, upon seeing our suitcases packed, flew into a rage. I watched as he attacked my mother, and then he came for me. I felt fear pour through my veins as he approached, and I shrunk back into the corner, having nowhere else to go. Just before his fist made contact with my face, I was shaken awake. _

"Elaine! Elaine." I recognised the voice, and opened my tear-filled eyes to see Remus. Just a dream. No, not a dream. A memory that turned into a nightmare. My mother and I had been able to leave without complications that night, and we were finally free of my father.

"Remus?" I asked, my voice full of terror and embarrassment. He stared at me for a few seconds before pulling me to his chest, his arms around my shoulder, resting his chin on top of my head.

"It's okay now, it was just a dream." I shook my head at his reassurances.

"No, it wasn't." I choked out before I could help myself, and he pulled away to stare down at me. "It was about my father." He still looked confused, and I remembered that he had no idea about my abusive past.

"It's going to be okay." He told me again, and I pulled away., wiping the tears that had carved warm tracks down my cheeks, avoiding his eyes.

"Yeah. It was just a dream." I could feel him staring at me once more, and I glanced around, noticing for the first time that Leo was missing.

"Where's Leo?" The corner of Remus' lips quirked up, and he two glanced at Leo's empty bed.

"He went to wake Lily up so he can wash his sheets." I nodded slowly, before standing up. He grabbed one of my hands, and I turned my head so I could still see him.

"It really is going to be okay, Elaine. Leo and I won't let anything bad happen to you." I stared at him for a second, to determine whether he was really serious.

"Thank you Remus." I whispered, ruffling his hair with my fingers to try and lighten the moment.

"No problem. Seriously." I got the feeling that he was being totally sincere when he said this, and my gaze softened.

"I'm sorry." He stared up at me, confused, and I took a deep breath. "I'm sorry for all the things I said while I was in the trance." He waved a hand, like he didn't really care, and I put my hands on his shoulders. "And don't say it's nothing, because I know I made Leo cry, and let's face it, he's a lot tougher than you are..." I trailed off as he raised both his eyebrows.

"You made Leo cry? I didn't know that." We stared at each other for a few seconds before shaking our heads and saying the same thing at exactly the same time.

"Secretive bastard."

* * *

Leo

I stared around the familiar, yet messed up dorm room, and carefully made my way over to my bed where Lily still lay, curled around my pillow.

The boys were gone, probably down at breakfast, so I reached out and shook her shoulder lightly.

"Mhmm." She protested, and I rolled my eyes.

"it's ten o'clock Lils, you can't be that tired." She jolted upright at the sound of my voice, and glanced around the room, wide-eyed.

"Ew, I can't believe I fell asleep in here." She said, pretending to shudder, before glancing down at the bed she had been sleeping in, mine. "Wait, this is your bed. But then...where did you sleep?" I shrugged and glanced around at the pillow-strewn room.

"Room of Requirement. Remus dragged me there, even though I was fine with just sleeping on the floor." She raised an eyebrow, chuckling lightly before noticing that I was being serious.

"You were seriously going to sleep on the floor? Just because I was here? Why didn't you just sleep in one of the other boys beds?" I shook my head, grimacing as I gestured to my fellow doormats beds.

"Lily, you've been in this room. It stinks. Remus and I are the only ones who have even _heard_ of personal hygiene, I'm not going to sleep in the stink pits they like to call 'beds'." I made fingers around the word beds, and she grinned at me somewhat ashamedly.

"So, did you have fun in the Room of Requirement?" She asked, and I shrugged, rolling my eyes as I sat on the edge of my bed.

"Yeah, we invited Elaine and we had a great big sleepover." I said somewhat sarcastically, picking at the fraying edge of the sheet.

"You like her don't you?" My head snapped up, and I stared at her for a minute, blushing furiously.

"No- I- What gives you that idea?" She giggled, beaming at me, and I looked away, embarrassed.

"Pretty much everything you just did." I sighed, crossing my arms over my chest mock-angrily.

"You really need to mind your own business." I muttered, smiling at her so she knew I meant it fondly.

"And you need to tell yours." She retorted, and I placed one hand over my heart.

"Ouch Lils, just ouch."

* * *

(A/N): What did you think? Good? Lame? Too many question marks?

I really liked this chapter, because of having Leo comfort Elaine, like he usually does, it was Remus, and I feel like that really strengthened their relationship.

Please review and/or check out my other stories!


	52. Method and Recklessness

(A/N): hey Guys! So, this is the fifty-second chapter. It took me six hours to write- not really, it was more on and off from 12 to six. I hope you enjoy it, even though it's mostly random crap.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Leo, Elaine, Shari and Nicholai.

* * *

Leo

We had been researching Animagi ever since Maloney's trance was removed, and a week and a half later, we had a break-through.

"It has the third part of the transformation method here! It's been right under our noses the whole time!" Elaine and I jolted upright at Remus' exclamation before rolling our eyes at each other.

"Only Remus could be that excited over a book." He frowned, crossing his arms over his chest.

"You two are the ones who wanted to do this so badly, why aren't you doing it?" I pouted slightly.

"Well, Moony, it's because we have you. See, if we didn't have you to do all the work, we'd actually have to do something!" I said like I was horrified by the thought, but then I shrugged and grinned at him. "Either that or we're just really lazy." Elaine grinned also, pointing a finger at me.

"Yeah, it's definitely the second option." Remus rolled his eyes again, placing the book he had found on the table, before clearing all the other books without the information important to the transformation, leaving us with only five books on the table.

"So, these two are theory, and preparation, while these three are the parts of Method?" I asked, gesturing to each in turn, and Remus nodded, looking somewhat surprised that I had actually been paying attention.

"We should all read all of these books. Elaine and I because we have to, and Remus, you should read them to make sure we've doing it right." He nodded, and Elaine smirked at me before ruffling my hair with her hand.

"Look at you, acting all grown up. Give it up Lee, we all know you're actually a six year old in a twelve year olds body." I beamed at her, one eyebrow raised.

"Is that a new nickname? It's getting pretty hard to keep track?" She started to reply, but I froze before reaching over the table, grabbing all five of the books and stuffing them into my half-empty book bag.

"What-?" Remus was cut off as the door opened, revealing Lily, James, Sirius and Peter.

"Oh, hey guys." Elaine said awkwardly, trying to cover up the fact that she was both shocked and trying to cover up our past doings.

"Hey." James greeted quietly, Peter and Sirius nodded while lily simply stared.

"Are you guys okay?" She asked quietly, and the others glanced at her before also staring at us.

"Of course we are Lils, why wouldn't we be? Were you expecting to walk in us painting each other's nails? Because that's not happening, ever again." I told them jokingly, and Lily smiled slightly.

"We were just coming to check on your battle wounds." James explained, gesturing to my shoulder, where the bite mark still resided. I may heal faster than humans, but not that fast, and especially not when it came to injuries caused by werewolves.

"Speaking of which we've been meaning to ask you something." Sirius said, making us look at him, before he nudged Lily forward, and she stumbled, looking both outraged and embarrassed.

"What we wanted to ask was...well...are you going to become a werewolf because of these?" I saw Remus flinch out of the corner of my eye, but ignored it, also seeing as Peter rested a hand on his shoulder comfortingly.

"No, not according to Madam Pomfrey anyway. Apparently there's only a specific way you _can_ be turned into a-" I was cut off by Remus, who rolled his eyes exasperatedly.

"Oh just tell them already Leo!" Elaine and I stared at him in disbelief, and the others glanced at him before turning back to stare at me. I kicked him in the leg, hard, and he yelped from the pain.

"Remember Remus, I can kick you harder, and in worse places." I raised an eyebrow at him warningly, and he gulped, obviously knowing what I was insinuating.

"What did you want him to tell us?" Sirius asked, looking to Remus, who glanced at me and shook his head.

"It's nothing, now drop it." He told him, deathly quiet, and the other stared at him for a second.

"Leo?" James asked, and I glanced at the table, stalling, before looking back up, only to feel Elaine's hand curl around mine in an effort to comfort me, whatever my decision.

"It's nothing, believe me." I almost winced at this statement, for it really wasn't nothing. It was dangerous, and unpredictable, and could get them all killed. Shouldn't I at least give them a fair chance to prepare themselves? It wouldn't make the fight any fairer either way, and I was genuinely _afraid_ of how they would react, so I didn't tell them.

"Elaine?" Lily asked, and Damsel's head snapped up, her lips curled in anger.

"If Leo doesn't want to tell you, than I most certainly _won't_." Elaine growled, and I squeezed her hand lightly, smiling at her gently before looking back to Lily, who had winced at the harshness of our friends tone.

"You three are way too secretive for your own good." James muttered, and I grinned at him.

"Probably, but loyalty is important to us." I glanced to Elaine, then to Remus, and back to James. "Damn, we should have been Hufflepuff's." Elaine raised her head again.

"If we weren't so hot-headed." Remus smiled at us fondly, rolling his eyes.

"And stubborn." We beamed at him before returning to the others, who were looking on with amusement.

"Yeah, you three are definitely stubborn. More stubborn than anyone else I've ever met. And Reckless, too." I grinned at Lily, before raising an eyebrow at Remus.

"Speaking of which, Remus, you do realise it _was_ me who got the ingredients for the potion right?" He stared at me, wide-eyed and shocked.

"But...you seemed so innocent!" I chuckled, and he frowned. "How the hell did you get out? McGonagall locked the door!" I smirked at him, leaning back in my chair.

"I told you both, when McGonagall asked." He thought about it for a second, before his eyes widened further than I thought possible.

"You climbed out the window?!" The others stared at us in shock.

"Yep." I said proudly, and he glared at me before sighing.

"That's seven stories up!" I grinned at him.

"Well technically, I only had to go down two stories and then climb through a window." The others stared at me, and Remus shook his head.

"You're a bloody idiot, Blue."

* * *

(A/N): So, what did you think?

This chapter was mainly to introduce the fact that Leo might have a big secret like Remus's to Lily and the others, and to tell Remus that Leo was actually the one who stole the ingredients in one of the earlier chapters.

Please review and/or check out my other stories!


	53. Letter and the Marauders

(A/N): Hey guys! So, teachers are writing our reports next week, and on Wednesday, I get to go to the Adelaide Zoo! I'm pretty sure I'm going to fail Metalwork, Skills, maybe Humanities, and possibly English. I know I'll probably get an A in science and Drama, and a pretty good mark in maths. Have you ever been in love with a fanfic so much, that you start putting songs into a folder dedicated to it? No? Just me then.

I'll probably upload a few chapters since the weekend starts tomorrow, and I uploaded two chapters yesterday, and three the day before.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Leo, Elaine, Shari and Nicholai.

* * *

Leo

_Son,_

_Shari and I have decided it would we be best if you came home for Christmas. More training and such. If you have no serious objections, great, but if you do, please reply with them and we can discuss. _

_By the way, how's your year been so far? I know I don't send letters very often, but I recently received one from your Professor, some woman named McGonagall, I think it was. She said you and another boy helped her out with something important...?_

_Lots of love,_

_Take care of yourself,_

_Your father,_

_Nicholai Ellwood_

I smiled at the letter I held in my hands, sighing lightly.

"What is it?" I glanced up at the sound of Sirius's voice, and he tried to lean over my shoulder to read the letter, but I pulled it away before he could.

"Nothing. It's a letter from my dad." Sirius nodded understandingly before scratching his head.

"He was the one with you in that Quidditch store before first year, right?" I nodded cautiously, worried that he would realise just what my father was.

"Yes." I told him quietly, and I felt James glance at me from where he lounged on his bed, reading a Quidditch Magazine.

"Oh. Cool." I held back a sigh of relief as he turned around. That is, until he turned back around. "Hey, when we were in the wand shop, why did Ollivander ask you if the 'strange middle names' were being continued in your family?" I winced, rubbing the back of my neck with my fingertips.

"Because we all had really, strange, screwed up middle names." James raised an eyebrow at me from over his magazine.

"How so?" I rolled my eyes at him, sitting on the edge of my bed.

"My middle names _Judas_, that should tell you enough." He looked somewhat embarrassed, and I shrugged. "My mother's full maiden name was Cipicia Morticia Meliflua." James looked like he was trying to hold back laughter, and Sirius's eyes widened.

"Meliflua? Like, Araminta Meliflua?" I nodded, knowing exactly who he was talking about. During my first seven years of living with them, my mother and 'father' had told me plenty about their relatives.

"Distantly related, I think." He nodded, staring down at the covers, and James threw the Quidditch magazine onto his nightstand.

"Come on gents, let's go stir up some mischief!" He exclaimed, and Sirius stood up to follow him, but I rolled my eyes.

"Leo, are you coming?" I whipped my head up staring at them in surprise.

"What?" I asked, probably sounding comically confused.

"Aw, bless him, he's so cute when he's confused." Sirius said, reaching to pinch my cheek, before I slapped his hands away.

"I'll come with you if you never do that again." I told him firmly and he grinned at me while James fist-pumped in the background.

"Deal."

We roamed the halls, just Sirius, James and I. Remus and Peter were in the Library, Remus trying to help Peter with the most recent transfiguration essay, and Elaine and Lily were off doing what girls do on a Friday night.

"We should pull a prank." I glanced at Sirius warily as he announced this, but James only grinned.

"That's a great idea!" I rolled my eyes, shaking my head.

"And _that_ is why Lily thinks you're a half-wit." He pouted at me, his eyebrows lowered, trying to look sad.

"He's so mean!" He wailed, and Sirius patted him on the back before mock-glaring at me from over his shoulder.

"Now look what you've done, he-" I cut them off by pulling them both into the alcove behind a tapestry, hearing the distinctive pair of footsteps coming towards us.

"What-?" James asked, before I clamped a hand over his mouth.

"Shhh." It was quiet, almost silent, but they got the message, and I released James's mouth in case he thought about licking me. A few seconds later, Filch hobbled down the hallway, his old cat, Mrs Norris, strutting in front of him. She was getting on in years, but she had kittens recently, so rest assured, there would be plenty Mrs. Norris's to come.

"Anyone there my sweet?" He asked her, and I rolled my eyes. He talks to that thing like it's his lover, not his pet! I'd never talk to Vex like that. Mrs Norris moved closer to the tapestry we were behind, and I felt the boys hold their breath, but she turned and trotted back the way she came, as if she had smelt something horrible.

Smelt something...it was probably me. I don't know if cats can smell Vampires, but it almost certainly wasn't the curry Sirius had for lunch making an appearance.

"Where are you going?!" Filch cried after his beloved cat, and he quickly limped after her, soon disappearing from even my hearing.

"That...was strange." Sirius muttered, and James ran a hand through his hair as if concentrating.

"How did you know they were coming?" He asked me, and I shrugged, quickly thinking of an excuse.

"What, you didn't hear them?" I stared at them in disbelief that was totally fake. "They were making such a racket! You two should get your ears checked." They shrugged, and seemed to accept it.

"Whatever. But hey, Leo, maybe you should become a permanent addition to our team. We call ourselves the Marauders, and your ears could be really useful." I chuckled, raising an eyebrow before shaking my head.

"Nah, I need to behave, so at least one person in our dorm will stay out of detention." They laughed with me, James a contagious chuckle, Sirius a bark-like laugh.

Marauders, eh? I guess the school is in trouble now.

* * *

(A/N): So, what did you think?

The Marauders don't have nicknames yet, that happens later.

Please review and/or check out my other stories!

Speaking of reviews, what, did you all die? I haven't got a review since the forty-eighth chapter, and the last time that happened, my reviewer was cat-sitting, but you can never be too sure! Never!


	54. Nicknames and the Invisibility Cloak

(A/N): Hey Guys! This chapter is pretty short, but it's my version of how the Marauders got their nicknames.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Leo, Elaine, Shari and Nicholai.

* * *

Leo

"So, Marauders huh?" Remus's head snapped up and he stared at me.

"How do you find these things out so quickly? Dammit, this was supposed to be a secret!" He slammed the book he had in his hand down on the table in the center of the Room of Requirement, which we had remodelled.

"Actually, James and Sirius told me. In fact, they asked me to join." Elaine and Remus both raised an eyebrow.

"And? What did you say?" Elaine asked, sounding a little left out.

"No, of course. If Dumbledore found out, I'd be kicked out faster than you can say "James-Potter-is-a-big-idiot." They others started to chuckle.

"Hey!" I heard, and we froze before jumping up and scanning the room.

"There's no one there!" Elaine exclaimed, dumbfounded, and I blinked before engaging the blood-sensor, as I had nicknamed it. Two people in the corner of the room, James and Sirius by the smell of them. I sighed and sat back down in my seat.

"Come on out from under the invisibility cloak James, Sirius." Elaine and Remus stared at me like I was crazy before James and Sirius were revealed as they discarded the cloak.

"How did you know we were there?" Once more, I lied. It was to protect them, after all.

"Well you did yell out." James smiled sheepishly, before sitting down on the ground, Sirius following his movements.

"Idiot." Elaine muttered, and I smiled at her lightly before grabbing her hand and pulling her back into her seat. We were sitting on the only three chairs in the much smaller room, around a medium sized round table, the two books one of us wasn't currently reading sitting in the middle.

"About the Marauders thing, I have a suggestion." The boys turned to stare at me, and Elaine and Remus raised an eyebrow each.

"What's that?" James asked, sounding somewhat nervous, and I smirked at him.

"We should decide your nicknames." Elaine and Remus grinned, and started appraising them while Sirius and James glanced at each other.

"Is it going to hurt?" Sirius asked, seeming unusually timid, and Elaine rolled her eyes.

"No, but this will." With that, she slapped him over the back of the head.

"Watch the hair!" Sirius scolded, rubbing the back of his head.

"Keep pushing me and I'll do something much worse to it." She growled, and I grinned as Sirius gripped the ends of his hair protectively.

"Relax, Damsel." She glanced at me, and I smiled slightly.

"Fine, whatever. Let's fit you two for some brand new nicknames." She nodded to me, and I rested a hand on Remus's shoulder.

"I'm sorry Remus, but from here on out, you are no longer allowed to contribute." He hung his head before nodding understandingly and sitting back at the table.

"Okay, for Sirius we should do something...doggy." Sirius glared at me, but I simply grinned in response.

"How about Fido?" James joked, and Sirius punched him in the shoulder. "Spot?" I rolled my eyes at their immaturity.

"I think we should call James 'Prongs'." Elaine said suddenly, and we stared at her.

"Why?" I asked bluntly, and she grinned somewhat devilishly.

"Because, most of the time, I feel like stabbing with a fork. What do forks have?" She looked at me expectantly.

"_Prongs_." We said together, before grinning maniacally at James, who shrunk back.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Remus chuckled in the background, and the boys glanced at him before turning their attention back to us, our faces now back to normal.

"Okay, something dog-like. But, we shouldn't make it obvious." I thought back to the observation Remus and I had on this same subject, upon choosing my nickname.

"How about...Padfoot? Like, how a dog has pads instead of toes on its feet?" Sirius shrugged, and Elaine nodded enthusiastically.

"Padfoot it is!" The boys glanced at each other again.

"What about Peter?" Elaine and I shrugged. Yeah, we had nothing.

"Wormtail." We all raised our eyebrows, turning to stare at Remus.

"I thought you weren't allowed to contribute?" Elaine scolded, but I rested a hand on her shoulder to calm her down.

"How'd you reach that?" I asked, causing Remus to shrug.

"You know me. It's a mixture of two 'creepy' animals, a worm and a rat. A worm because, hey, why not? And a rat because, well, you know, the way Peter's two front teeth stick out a little bit." We nodded, all making sounds of agreement.

"And his face is slightly narrower than usual." I grinned at Elaine as she said this.

"Just wait until he's old enough to grow a beard, and then he'll actually have whiskers!"

* * *

(A/N): So, what did you think?

Please review and/or check out my other stories!


	55. Parting for Christmas and Brooke

(A/N): Hey Guys! So, this story has reached over 70,000 words. That's my longest ever, by like, 25,000 or something. Hells yeah!

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Leo, Elaine, Shari, Nicholai and Brooke.

* * *

Leo

Three weeks later, and it was the day that I had to part ways to go home for Christmas break. Last year, I had stayed at the school with Elaine and Remus, researching, but that was before we had started training.

"Promise to write this time." Elaine whispered in my ear as she hugged me, and I smiled into her shoulder, trying not to breathe in.

"I promise." We released each other, and Remus and I gave a manly hug before I picked up my navy blue messenger bag, and Vex's cage.

"Bye Leo." Lily said, not coming home to Cokeworth for the summer seeing as she was still at odds with her sister, Petunia. Actually, barely anyone from the Gryffindor tower, or at least our year, were leaving for the Christmas break. I grinned at her, wrapping an arm around her waist tightly.

"Guys, I'll be back in like, two weeks." They saddened slightly at this announcement and I rolled my eyes. "Savour the time, you'll soon hate having me back here." Elaine smiled at me sadly before hugging me again.

The train whistle blew, and I glanced at it in alarm before stepping into the train. I quickly made my way into the empty carriage closest to the door, and leaned out the open window to still see them.

"And if you say anything to them Moony..." I trailed off threateningly, Lily having been distracted by James's teasing, and Elaine smacked him on the shoulder.

"I'll make sure he doesn't." She told me reassuringly, and I smiled at her softly before waving at them as the train started to roll. Lily, James and Sirius joined in with the others as they began to wave after me, and I thought about just how lucky I was.

_I have a group of friends...who care about me. I have family, or at least my father and Shari...I have everything I need._

_Everything._

A few minutes later, as I was reading one of our books on animagi transformation, and trying to pat Vex through the cage, the carriage door slid open.

"Do you mind if I sit with you?" A melodic, female voice asked, and I glanced up from over my book to be met with a familiar face.

"Sure." She looked at me, for the first time, seeing as she had been looking at the floor previously, and blushed slightly. Seconds later, it was gone, but I had definitely felt it.

I slid the book on animagi back in my bag before pulling out a different, recreational book, so she wouldn't ask about it. I tried to pat Vex again, but he bit me, almost enough to make me bleed. I winced slightly, and I could feel the girl staring at me, her long, wavy black hair falling in her pale green eyes.

"Why does your cat hate you?" She asked quietly, and I glanced at her before smiling slightly.

"All cats hate me." I told her, which was true, before tapping Vex lightly on the back of the head, to which he span around, looking to attack what had touched him.

"He's cute." She wasn't looking at Vex, she was looking at me. Again, I could feel it.

"Yeah, but definitely evil." She giggled quietly, leaning forward slightly, but I avoided her gaze by continuing to antagonize Vex.

"You're Leonides, aren't you?" I raised an eyebrow slightly. Was that what people called me around school? Not Leo, but Leonides? If so, I hate it.

"I prefer Leo." She nodded, like she was taking that into account, and I figured I'd be polite.

"I'm-"

"What's-?" We started at the same time, my eyes now on her, and she laughed lightly at the train wreck that was my attempt at friendliness.

"What's your name?" I asked her quietly, scraping my nails against the side of my thumb.

"Brooke Sarne." I nodded slowly, committing it to memory, before leaning back slightly in my seat.

"Right um...sorry for disturbing your sleep last year." She grinned at me before waving a hand.

"Pssh, it doesn't matter. Hey, how did that work out for you, by the way? Did you find your girlfriend?" I winced and blushed.

"One, Elaine isn't my girlfriend," No matter how much I sometimes want her to be. "And two, I ended up in detention." She grinned at me, and my discomfort.

"Ah, so you missed your date." I mock-glared at her as she teased me, rolling my eyes.

"Still not a date, and actually, I managed to fly her down to the Common room before I got caught." She smirked at me, her green eyes alight with mischief.

"I bet it was a date, you just don't like to admit it. Though, I must admit, you made some of the girls of Hogwarts very happy when you said that." I ignored her first comment, choosing to furrow my eyebrows at the second instead.

"How so?" I asked, my tone, along with the rest of me, full of confusion.

"You don't know?' She asked, one eyebrow raised and I shook my head. "Well, half the girls in the school are either fawning over you or your Marauder friends, usually both!" Both my eyebrows raised, and I stared at her in disbelief. "You've got girls up to forth year swooning Leo, and you don't even know it!" She crowed, and I shook my head.

" Your crazy. I'm _twelve_, no one is swooning over me." She raised an eyebrow and shrugged, rubbing the back of her neck with a sheepish expression.

"Well, first time I saw you, I thought you were pretty cute." She avoided my eyes, and I stared at her for a few seconds before smiling at her lightly.

"Thank you." I murmured, and she nodded slightly, still not looking at me, so I started reading again.

A few hours later, the train had rolled to a stop, and Brooke and I knew a few new facts about each other. Nothing important, at least in my case, just trivial little random things.

"Have fun with your dad." Brooke, like me, lived only with her father, but her mother had died a when she was nine.

"You too." She called back with a smile as she headed off with her trolley, and I scanned the crowd for my father, or Shari. I spotted Shari a few second later, and sighed lightly, pushing my trolley of luggage towards her.

"Hey Shari." I greeted her, and she tackled me with a tight hug that almost lifted me off my feet.

"Hi Leo!" She chirped, and I grinned, knowing that, since I had left, she had been left alone with my father. Who, though I love him dearly, isn't exactly the most fun person to be around. "Ready to go?" She asked, and I took a deep breath, preparing myself.

"As ready as I'll ever be." I told her, taking hold of her arm, and we apparated, feeling like we were being condensed into cubes, all the air being crushed from our lungs.

"Oh, that was fun." I wheezed, falling to my knees on the grassy lawn in front of the Ellwood estate.

"Leo!" I heard my father shout, just before I was wrapped in yet another tight, bone-crushing hug, which felt much like apparating from where I was standing- well, being held off the ground forcibly.

"Hey dad." I choked, and he released me immediately.

"Put your stuff down in your room, and we can have a quick game of Quidditch before tea." I smiled at his suggestion and made my way to my bedroom, letting out a groan as soon as I was sure I was out of their hearing range.

"Please, just let me sleep." I groaned, collapsing on the bed, planning to only spend a few seconds, my eyes drooping and flutter until, suddenly, I was in a deep sleep.

* * *

(A/N): So, what did you think?

Please review and/or check out my other stories!


	56. Escape

(A/N): Hey Guys! So, the start of this chapter may seem a bit like a filler chapter, but trust me, it's important later, and the rest of the chapter is pretty important.

Also, there's a massive plot twist coming in one of the next two chapters or so.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Leo, Elaine, Nicholai and Shari.

* * *

Leo

I woke up the next morning, undisturbed, well-rested, but with an ache in my back from the dodgy position I had slept in.

"Morning." I grunted as I collapsed into my chair at the small dining table, and Shari turned to glare at me.

"So, Leo, your father told me earlier that you can cook." I froze, taking the chance to glare at my father who shrugged sheepishly before slowly turning to face her.

"Well...I wouldn't call it _cooking_..." She glared at me, dropping the empty plate she had been holding onto the table.

"And you let me cook for you all this time? Shame on you!" She pulled me out of my chair and sat herself in it, looking at me expectantly. "Well? Make me breakfast." I rolled my eyes, picking up the plate she had dropped which was, miraculously, still intact, before moving over to the stove.

"Bacon and eggs?" I suggested, and I received no reply. "Shari?" I heard her sigh, and I raised an eyebrow.

"I did nod." I rolled my eyes. It's not my fault I can't feel you move demon-woman, you have no circulation.

"Well okay then." I told her, collecting all the ingredients needed, i.e: Bacon and eggs.

I broke two eggs into one pan, and plopped a few rashes of bacon into the other, watching over them carefully.

I fetched the bag of shredded cheese from the fridge quickly, before scrambling the eggs, and adding a handful of cheese and mixing it until the cheese was melted.

I removed the pieces of bacon, and then the scrambled eggs, from their frypans, turning off the jets and placing the pans in the sink. I took my plate over to the table and sat down, readying my fork only to look up as I felt Shari staring at me.

"What?" I asked, somewhat defensively, and she shook her head.

"How long have you been able to cook?" I winced at her question, thinking back to the first time I tried to cook anything myself.

"I started learning when I was seven. As you know, dad isn't exactly a great cook." He glanced up from over the Daily Prophet he was reading.

"Well, yeah, I think everyone who's ever met him knows that." I saw my father roll his eyes, and I had to hold in my laughter.

"I had to make food for myself, so I wouldn't have to eat burnt toast for every meal, and eventually, I got good at it." She nodded, appraising me for a few seconds.

"And why didn't you tell me you could cook?" I shrugged, rubbing the back of my neck sheepishly.

"I cooked for myself for almost four years, wouldn't you take advantage if someone else offered to cook for you?" She seemed to think about it for a few seconds, and I returned to my meal.

"New training techniques to practice after breakfast." My father remarked, and I groaned. "We have to go to Diagon Alley tomorrow morning, to pick up a few new books. I heard about his..." I managed to tune him out, nodding every so often to make it look like I was listening, and I could tell Shari knew I wasn't paying attention, what with the amused smile on her lips.

A few minutes later, after I had finished my breakfast, my father, Shari and I made our way into our spacious back garden, which was pretty much empty lawn. We also had a lawn on both sides of our house, and one very large one in front, which was dominated by our Quidditch pitch.

Shari and I stood opposite each other, maybe a yard apart, my father standing off to the side observing us.

"You may begin." We immediately began circling each other, our stances turning defensive. As I reached the opposite side of our circle, where Shari had been originally, she charged.

Now, full-vampires are much faster than half-vamps, so I must tell you that the odds were _not_ in my favour. However, as soon as she charged, it happened. My body went into sensory alert, which is what I called the changes that happened when I was thirsty, hunting or threatened.

Thing is, the first time this had ever happened was when Maloney attacked, and I hadn't versed Shari since last summer, so she had no idea. And frankly, I wasn't expecting it either.

Everything slowed down.

Her movements, the wind, my usually hectic heartbeat. Everything except for me. As she approached, I waited patiently until she got close enough, and spun, sending a round-house kick straight to her chest.

She obviously wasn't expecting it, as she was launched backwards, landing on her back more than halfway across the circle.

I could see my father's eyes widen as she hit the ground, and her eyes were wide as well. My stance, which had defensive up until the point in which I had attacked, then had turned offensive, and was now back to being defensive.

Instinctual questions ran through my head as I stood there, waiting for her to get up.

_Would she attack?_

How_ would she attack?_

_Would I be able to block it?_

_Would I be able to land another blow now that she was expecting it?_

"Leo..." I heard my father say quietly, and in a split-second he was by my side, having used vampire-speed. I jerked away at the sudden proximity, worried of another attack, before I realised who it was, and relaxed a tiny bit. He cautiously rested a hand on my shoulder, and I didn't shrug him off.

"Leo." He said again, but I still didn't respond, watching Shari warily as she climbed to her feet with grace only a vampire could achieve.

"Leonides!" My eyes widened, and I jumped slightly, before turning to look at him.

"What?" I asked quietly, and he stared at me for a second, wide-eyed. I saw my reflection in his eyes, the same as it had been when I had almost attacked Madam Pomfrey.

I blinked, straightening up out of my defensive stance, and I could feel myself returning to normal. I avoided their gazes, staring at the ground only, before spinning on my heel and racing into the forest surrounding the Estate.

"Leo!" I heard Shari yell after me, but I shook my head, clearing myself of all conscious thought.

I cleared everything out, and just ran.

I ran to forget, I ran to avoid it, but mostly...

I ran to escape.

* * *

(A/N): So, what did you think?

Please review and/or check out my other stories!


	57. The Son and The Father

(A/N): Hey Guys! So, this is a _really_ short chapter, but it's from Shari's PoV. Since this chapter is here, the plot twist will be in not the next chapter, but the one after it.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Leo, Elaine, Nicholai and Shari.

* * *

Shari

What the hell was that?

In every other sparring match I had had with Leo, I had kicked his ass, as I should've, but this time...

"He's developing faster than I thought he would." Nicholai said aloud, sounding worried, but I slapped him on the arm.

"You didn't tell me about this." He glanced at me before shrugging.

"I thought I'd have more time." He looked to the ground before giving a bitter chuckle. "All I wanted was a son. Instead, I ruin his life." I stared at him before slapping again.

"You didn't ruin anything. Excuse my opinion, but I don't think Leo would've been very happy as a pureblood with a prejudice. Besides, if you hadn't of had him, he wouldn't have a life for you to have ruined anyway." He glanced at me before staring into woods Leo had taken off into.

"I didn't take any of this into account when I seduced his mother. I just wanted a child of my own. I didn't know that he would be...like me." I knew what he meant, so I nodded, resting a hand on his shoulder.

"He's not like you." Nicholai, my old friend, lifted his head to stare at me. "Leo is a very independent person, he's different from anyone I've ever seen. And what happened earlier proves that." He moved to sit on the ground, his knees pulled to his chest with his arms resting upon them.

"From what we've heard about other half-vampires, he's different from them also." Nick muttered, and I kneeled next to him, my hand still on his shoulder.

"I told you, didn't I? He's unique." I stared into the woods also. "He's smart enough to know not to make a mistake, Cole, so you shouldn't be worrying about him so much." He glanced at me, his eyes wide.

"He's my son! I will worry about him to the day I die!" I smiled at his persistence.

"I know you will, that's the way you Ellwood's are. All fiercely protective, stubborn, secretive assholes." He grinned at me, sniffing back the tears that he couldn't shed.

"I thought you said Leo was different?" I shrugged with a small smile.

"Not in that respect he's not."

* * *

(A/N): What do you think?

So, I was going to put 'secretive bastards' but then I realised that she would seem too much like Lily, so I put Secretive assholes.

Please review and/or check out my other stories!


	58. Souls and Animagi

(A/N): Hey Guys! So, this chapter was pretty easy to write, for once. I hope you like it, even though Leo and his father are pretty damn angst-y in this chapter.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Leo, Elaine, Shari and Nicholai.

* * *

Leo

By the time I made my way back to the Estate a few hours later, my father was sitting in the middle of the lawn, all alone, waiting for me. I sighed quietly, shaking my head and walking over to him.

I stared at him before sitting down in front of him, legs crossed and head bowed, waiting.

"I'm sorry." My father said a few minutes later, and I raised an eyebrow.

"For what?" I asked curiously, wondering what he could possibly be sorry for.

"For inflicting this mess of an existence upon you." I winced, but remained still. "I expected...I expected things to be normal, or at least somewhat normal, but not like this." I fought the urge to wince again.

"What do you mean?" I asked quietly, and he glanced up at me for the first time.

"You weren't supposed to develop such a fighting ability as you exhibited earlier for at least another year or two." I chuckled bitterly, shaking my head.

"So even among weirdo's I'm a freak, good to know." My father raised his head to look me in the eye.

"Don't say that. You're not a freak, you are perfectly normal in my eyes." I stared at the ground, avoiding his concerned gaze.

"But to no one else. How would people react, if they found out what I was?" I thought of Remus and Elaine, shaking my head. They were the exception. "They'd call me a freak, a _monster_." I looked at him as he flinched. "They'd say the same thing about you, too. But what they don't know is that we aren't monsters. We're _people_. We have _souls_, and most of us use them." I stood up, brushing the dirt off my pants.

"Are you coming?" I asked, and he slowly turned his gaze to me, a small smile on his face.

"No. Not yet." He told me quietly, before returning to stare into the depths of the forest from which I had emerged. I stared at him for a second before shrugging it off, and walking inside, where I found Shari at the dining table.

"That was quite the speech." She said, and I ignored her in favour of sitting down. "Your parents..." I glanced up at this, surprised.

"What about them?" She raised her eyes from the wood of the table she had lowered them to, watching me.

"Your mother and fake father, I mean. Were they...did they...did they call you a monster?" I blinked, rubbing my forehead with my fingertips.

"I'm too tired for this." I told her, standing up and heading for the stairs, but she grabbed my wrist as I made my way past her. It seems my answer had been made obvious to her, for she wrapped her arms around my shoulders.

"I don't care if I look like I could be your older sister, if you need someone, consider me your mother Leo." She said, planting a soft kiss on my forehead, making me slightly uncomfortable. God knows my real mother was never this compassionate, and my father had never been the touchy-feely type.

This was the first time that I had ever really felt like...I had parents who actually_ cared _about me.

"Thank you." I whispered, hugging her back tightly before releasing her quickly. "But I really am very tired." She grinned at me before waving a hand to the stairs and returning to the book she had been reading. As I headed for the stairs, I saw my bag, my messenger bag, under her chair.

"Hey Shari," I said casually, and she nodded for me to continue without turning around. "What're you reading?" She froze, and I had my answer. "So much for my privacy." I muttered, snatching the book off her, picking my messenger bag from under the chair and slipping it back inside before heading for the stairs.

"Leo, why are you researching animagi?" I didn't stop, having been asked this question so many times now by Lily that freezing was no longer a natural reaction.

"I'm getting an early start on my transfiguration OWL, I hear it's a part of the test." I swung my bag over my shoulder before freezing as she replied.

"And why do you smell like werewolf then?" I turned slowly to face her, and she smiled at me smugly, one eyebrow raised. "Well?"

"My best male friend is a werewolf, get over it." She blinked, her smile dropping before she grinned at me.

"Oh, so it's for OWL's, and not to help him out?" I froze again, and she stood up, smirking proudly. "You should give up now, it's wrong and very dangerous." She continued, her smile still on, and I stared at her, perplexed. She slipped a piece of paper into my hand and I unfolded it while she continued to scold me.

_Sorry, but if your father knew I was endorsing this he'd kill me..._

_Probably somewhat literally. _

_Meet me in the second floor drawing room at midnight, I'll explain everything then._

I nodded, showing I understood.

"You got that?" She asked, referring to the scolding she had been giving me the whole time.

"I understand, I won't even research it anymore." I told her with a grin.

"Good, now go to sleep."

A few hours later, it was midnight, and I silently made my way to the drawing room on the second floor, just as Shari had designated.

"My god you're noisy." She remarked as I closed the door behind me as quietly as possible, and rolled my eyes.

"My god you're annoying." I mimicked and she waggled a finger at me.

"No one likes a smartass. Well, except for that Elaine girlfriend of yours." I blushed and pointed a finger at her.

"We're just friends!" I hissed, and she chuckled.

"Whatever you say, lover boy." I rolled my eyes before waving a hand.

"What did you want to explain?" She cleared her throat before sitting on the ground cross-legged, and gesturing for me to do the same.

"I want to help you transform. Into an animagus, I mean." I stared at her, trying to see if she was serious.

"You're kidding." I spluttered, but she shook her head.

"Nope." She said, popping the p. "Completely serious. You see, before I was turned, I became a registered animagus. Maybe, with the help of someone's who's done it before, you won't get yourself killed in the process." She raised an eyebrow at me, trying to make me understand.

"Thank you." I said for the second time tonight, and she waved a hand.

"Is anyone else involved in this?" I hated lying to her, but I shook my head anyway.

"No, just me." She raised an eyebrow slightly before shaking her head lightly.

"Alright, we'll get started with the basics now. I'll tell you more through the rest of the break, and maybe we can attempt it during summer." I beamed at her and she rolled her eyes.

"I swear, sometimes you act like a thirty year old, other times you're a six year old on a sugar rush."

* * *

(A/N): What do you think? Is Shari being an animagus too convenient or what?

Please review and/or check out my other stories!


	59. Mia

(A/N): Hey Guys! So, this is the chapter with the plot twist in it! This chapter was _very_ hard for me to write, because I couldn't get into the mood to write. I've been toying with this idea for like, half the story, but only decided to actually use it a few chapters a few chapters ago, which is probably...pretty bad.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Leo, Elaine, Nicholai, Shari and the plot twist.

* * *

Leo

Today, we were going for a trip into Diagon Alley to pick up some books. I honestly don't know which books, or why we needed them, my father wouldn't tell me, but he and I were going to Diagon Alley.

So, we had breakfast, before he apparated us to outside the Leaky Cauldron. Safe to say, I almost _lost_ my breakfast all over the sidewalk.

"Can we never do that again please?" I whimpered, and my father shook his head amusedly.

"How do you think we're getting home?" I groaned, and he led the way into and through the establishment, getting disgusted and hateful looks the whole time. Apparently, vampires were very easy to recognise.

We made our way into the back Alley, and my father tapped the pattern into the bricks of the wall, and they started to roll back. I grinned as I found myself in an entirely new, yet utterly familiar, world.

"Flourish and Blotts first, then Jules' Literary Supplies." I wrinkled my eyebrows. I had never heard of the second store...why were we going there? Where was _there_?

I nodded, and stuck close to him as he moved over to and entered Flourish and Blotts. I stood in the corner of the store, trying to avoid attracting attention, while my father found the books he needed and bought them at the counter.

"On to the Literary supplies store!" My father announced quietly as we exited the shop, and I rolled my eyes.

"Yay." I muttered, uninterested and bored. We were in Flourish and Blotts for over fifteen minutes. How long does it take to buy a few freaking books?!

My father glanced at me before shaking his head, leading the way halfway down the alley before turning into a side alley I hadn't noticed before. I thought the only side alley was Knockturn alley?

We turned a few times, before ending up in a narrow passage with an equally narrow store at the end of it, with a sign reading 'Jules' Literary Supplies' painted on the front.

"Wait outside, it's a bit too cramped for both of us to go in." I nodded, taken a seat on the step outside while my father entered. I settled for a long wait, knowing how long my father could spend talking about pens.

About five minutes in, I heard a giggle, the type you only hear from young children.

I inhaled quietly, and a strange but familiar scent hit me. I jumped to my feet, scanning the area, instantly alert, before I saw them, peaking around the side of a building.

The young girl, who looked to be around ten, giggled once more, and I smiled slightly, but sadly. I knew she was ten, because I knew her.

She had dark, honey-brown hair, pale, yet darker than mine, skin, and bright blue eyes that were staring straight at me.

"Mia." I whispered, and then she was gone. I heard her footsteps of course, skipping in the opposite direction, and she was still giggling to herself, but I couldn't follow her.

No, I couldn't follow her, because at that point my father came out of the store.

He rummaged around in the brown paper bag he was holding for a few seconds before staring at me, his eyes widening with concern.

"What happened to you? You look like you've seen a ghost." I shook my head, heading for the winding back alley's that led back to Diagon Alley.

No.

No, not a ghost, my little sister.

* * *

(A/N): ...Anyone shocked by that?

Anyone?

No?

Oh.

Please review and/or check out my other stories!


	60. Interesting Christmas

(A/N): Hey Guys! So, yet another shocker in this chapter. Oh god, the first time I wrote that I said episode instead of chapter, what is happening with my life?! Hem. So, yeah, hope you like it, because it will be the last chapter I upload until at least tomorrow as it is 10:00 p.m here, and I need to get up at seven for school. Also, on Wednesday, which is three days from now, I go to the Zoo! I think I mentioned that in an earlier chapter but...eh, oh well.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Leo, Elaine, Nicholai, Shari and Mia.

* * *

Leo

We apparated home, and my father went inside, but I stayed out, still shaken from the appearance of my little sister.

Well, half-sister.

You see, when I was two, my mother and 'father' had 'another' child (A.k.a: Their first together), which was Mia. We were incredibly close, as most siblings are, but when my parents found out about my being a half-vampire, they kicked me out, as you know, and they cut off my ways of communications with her.

I was devastated at the time, but eventually I decided that she was probably better off without having me as her older brother.

Her appearance today, however, had scared the crap out of me. What was she doing there? That meant that my mother or 'father' must have been around, and that is _never_ good.

Instead of going inside, I climbed the side of the house, which was actually pretty easy considering there are plenty of windowsills, drainpipes and handholds. Once there, I sat on the roof, not on the edge but only a few feet back, staring out over the lawns and into the forest.

Listening close, I could only hear my father inside, not Shari. I silently wondered where she was for a minute before shaking my head, clearing that thought. What was I going to do about Mia?

Last time I had seen her, she was five. Had my 'parents' brainwashed her into hating me? Had she forgotten about me altogether?

I stayed up there for around an hour, before my finely tuned ears picked up voices. Familiar voices, that _shouldn't be here_.

I stood up abruptly, which probably wasn't the best idea seeing as I was on the roof, and listened harder, trying to check if I wasn't hallucinating.

No, definitely not hallucinating.

I focused my eyes to where I had heard the voices, and smiled slightly as I saw them, a mile or two back into the woods, walking along the expansive driveway that winded through the forest to our estate.

"I'm hungry!" I heard Sirius whine as I slid down the drain pipe I had used to climb out, before dropping a whole story to the ground, where I landed safely and hopefully, gracefully, on my feet.

I entered the house and mock-glared at my father, who was sitting at the kitchen table, my expression ruined by the grin that refused to drop from my lips.

I quickly fetched a few ingredients and the bread, making sandwiches using vampire speed.

Not exactly the most conventional use for it, but eh.

Just as I finished making a whole, heaped plate, with five different types of fillings (as I knew Lily liked cucumber while Elaine hated it, and vice versa with chicken), as they reached the gates.

In a few seconds, they would be able to see the house.

They had never seen it before, nor had I bothered to describe it to them, so this was going to be _quite _the surprise.

"And here we are." I heard Shari announced, a hint of amusement in her tone, and I knew she knew I could hear everything she said.

"Holy crap." I heard Lily utter, and grinned to myself before shaking my head.

"This is even bigger than my house." Sirius said, and I raised an eyebrow. Really? Bigger than the Black house?

"I think the first floor is bigger than my house." Remus told them, and I waited.

"I've seen some pretty big houses, and they just don't even compare." James whispered, sounding somewhat awed, and I shook my head. Only James. The house wasn't actually that big, it just looked that way from the outside.

"That's two entire floors more than my house has." I heard Elaine say, and I drummed my fingers on the table, willing them to hurry up.

"Why would anyone need so many floors?" Peter asked, and by this point, I was just a wee bit confused. Just a tiny, wee bit.

"What are they doing here though?" I asked my father quietly, and he grinned at me.

"Well, Shari and I figured we should surprise you for Christmas, what with everything that's been going on. So, we, or, well, Shari, talked it over with them via letter, and once they got their parents' permission, and the permission of a certain Professor, they could set out two days after you, and surprise you." I stared, overcome momentarily with emotion. I blinked back tears, before getting a grip on myself.

No one had ever gone to this length to surprise me before. Too bad it didn't work, really.

I waited patiently for them to come up the drive, trying hard not to listen to every single word they said. I wasn't supposed to hear them, so I was going to pretend I couldn't.

"So, how long are they staying?" I asked, and my father raised his head slightly to look at me.

"A week and a half. We're taking them to the Hogwarts express at the end of the Holidays." I stared at him, one eyebrow raised.

"Are you going to be okay with this?" I hated having to ask as he winced, but I had to.

"Are you?" He retorted, and I smiled slightly before nodding.

"Should be easy. I mean, I already share a dorm with four of them." I was worried for him though. Since I'd lived with him at least, there's only been me and him in a house, or Shari. Never any full humans, and never for this long.

"Just keep in mind that even you aren't invincible." He told me with a tone full of amusement, and I grinned at him as I heard their footsteps approaching.

"We're home!" Shari called, and I could hear the others, especially Lily and Sirius, trying to shush her.

"Sh, you'll ruin the surprise!" They whispered, and I heard Shari laugh loudly.

"If Leo doesn't know yet, he's an idiot." I grinned and stood.

"Don't insult me Shari!" I yelled, and I could feel the others surprise. I exited the kitchen and through the hallway, to meet them at the front door. "Welcome to our..." I glanced around for a second, trying to find words. "...less than humble, abode." They grinned, and Elaine and Remus launched themselves at me in unison.

"Leo!" They exclaimed, and I chuckled lightly, not breathing in, wrapping my arms around them tightly before letting them go as they did me.

"What, I don't get a hug?" Lily asked, and I smiled at her before sweeping her off the ground and into a bear hug, her feet dangling off the ground. "Can't...breathe..." I dropped her immediately, and she grinned at me. "Remind me never to ask you for a hug again." I nodded, taking note of it before turning to Sirius, James and Peter.

"Hey Leo." James said, acting slightly awkward, and the rest of us grinned at him, including my father who had now joined us.

"Hey Sparky!" Sirius shouted with enthusiasm and the others laughed while I stared at him.

"Sparky?" I mouthed, and he shrugged. James seemed to loosen up after this, and we even hugged for a second, a manly hug. If you can call twelve year olds manly, that is.

"Hey Pete." I said, and as he was about to reply, Sirius butted in.

"Why do you have a Quidditch pitch on your front lawn? Can we use it at some point?" The last question was directed between Shari and my father, who shrugged.

"Of course." It was a short answer, but my father wouldn't have answered at all if he hadn't liked Sirius, so I thought it to be going well.

"Yes!" James and Sirius both yelled, high-fiving, much to the amusement of everyone witnessing.

"Weirdo's." Elaine remarked, though she grinned at them fondly, and I felt Shari glancing between us, so I glared at her warningly. She held up her hands in surrender, which Lily noticed, but thankfully, no one else did.

"Quidditch obsessed." Remus corrected, and James and Sirius grinned at them.

"By the end of this break, so will you two be." They rolled their eyes, and I felt a massive Quidditch filled Christmas break coming, so I just smiled.

"Leo, why don't you get the others some food?" Shari suggested, and I knew she simply wanted to make me cook for revenge purposes, but I gestured for the others to follow me.

"Already ahead of you." I told her just before we entered the kitchen, and they caught sight of the hulking plate of sandwiches in the middle of the dining table.

"The ones on the left have cucumber and ham, the ones on the right have chicken and mayo, the ones in the back have lettuce, tomato and ham." I gestured to each set of sandwiches in turn. "The ones in the front have lettuce and chicken, and the ones on top have bacon and cheese." The girls gawked at me while the boys launched themselves at the food, except for Remus.

"Pigs." He said, fondly shaking his head. I rolled my eyes and pulled the chocolate bar from my pocket before dangling it under his nose. His eyes widened and followed the chocolate. I threw the bar onto the table and he followed it.

"How long did that take you to make?" Lily asked, gesturing to the (now depleted) huge pile of sandwiches, and I shrugged.

"Not long." It was true. It had only taken me a minute or two at tops.

Lily and Elaine headed for the table, trying to eat whatever sandwiches the boys had managed to leave them, and I crossed my arms, leaning against the door frame as I watched them.

This was going to be an interesting Christmas indeed.

* * *

(A/N): Oh Leo, you have no idea of the hell I am going to put you through, do you?

Please review and/or check out my other stories!

P.S: 60th chapter, hoorah!


	61. Pancakes and Quidditch

(A/N): Hey Guys! So, I uploaded the last chapter while I was at school today, so you guys wouldn't have to wait any longer for answers. However, that threw off my whole 'don't upload first chapter until second one is done' thing.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Leo, Elaine, Shari, Nicholai and Mia.

* * *

Elaine

I woke up early the next morning, as per usual, and rolled over.

Lily was awake, but still sprawled across the other mattress on the floor of the room, identical to mine. They were just like real beds, except without frames!

"Can you hear that?" Lily whispered, and I concentrated on my hearing. Was that...music?

"What _is_ that?" I asked, standing up, and Lily did the same. We entered the hallway, only to find the others, minus Shari, Leo and his father, who we had taken to calling Mr. Ellwood. Well, except for Sirius, who liked to call him Mr. E, saying that they went 'way back' when we asked him why.

I pointed down the stairs, to the kitchen, where the music seemed to be coming from before raising an eyebrow at the boys, who shrugged.

At once, we all moved quietly but quickly towards and down the staircase and into the kitchen, only to gawk at the sight that met us.

Leo. Dancing. While making breakfast.

"Pinch. Me." I said, and we giggled, only to have Leo spin around, almost dropping the frypan he was holding.

"Don't laugh, or I don't feed you." He commanded, pointing a finger at James and Sirius, who then had to try to reign in their laughter in order to keep their food privileges.

"Don't threaten the guests, son." Mr Ellwood remarked as he walked through the kitchen and up the stairs, Daily Prophet tucked under his arm, coffee in the other.

"Relax Blue, stress is slowly killing you." I teased, wrapping my arms around his chest, under his arms, pulling him into a tight hug before releasing him.

"Hey, that's trademark, you better watch I don't sue." Leo joked, returning to his cooking, while still dancing to the music playing through the radio on the counter.

"Nice moves." Lily said, and he rolled his eyes while flipping the pancake in the pan into the air, spinning a full circle before catching it safely.

"Impressive." Remus intoned, one eyebrow raised as we watched Leo dance around the kitchen, cooking. And it really was.

"Where'd you learn to cook?" Peter asked, always thinking of his stomach. Leo grimaced, and I tapped him on the arm with my fingers, trying to encourage him.

"Taught myself. Dad was never the best cook, so when I moved here, I had to cook for myself. You should've seen it, I couldn't reach half the things in the kitchen, let alone be trusted with them." I grinned at his back, before frowning. He never had anything simply, did he?

"Well, our stomachs definitely thank you." Sirius announced with a grin, grabbing the first plate of pancakes Leo served, also snatching the bottle of maple syrup.

"Yum, yum." Lily murmured, and I stared at her, concerned for her health. She was acting like one of those Marauder boys! Well, except for Remus.

"Remus, order up." Leo set a plate of pancakes, different from the first, in front of Remus, and I rolled my eyes.

"Chocolate pancakes!" Remus exclaimed, a look of sheer joy written onto his face. Leo held up a finger as Remus went to eat them, with his hands.

"Chocolate sauce, too." Leo explained, squeezing the light brown liquid onto Remus' already chocolate-y pancakes, and I swear, Remus went into a euphoric state.

"You_ spoil_ me." Remus whispered, sounding close to tears, before tearing into his pancakes with the fork Leo had made sure to hand him this time.

"And for the girls..." A minute later, he turned around with two tall, heart-shaped pancake stacks, with strawberry jam and whipped cream in between each layer, cinnamon and powdered sugar on top, and thinly sliced strawberry pieces on the side of the plate, with chocolate sauce drizzled over them.

"Holy. Crap." Remus said, staring at our food now that he was done with his, and we gaped at him.

"Hey, why are theirs better than ours?" Sirius asked somewhat jealously, and Leo grinned at us.

"Well, they are my favourites." Lily and I shared a look before cheering and high-fiving each other.

"Oh, don't act so smug." Sirius muttered, arms crossed over his chest, and Leo shook his head in amusement.

"We have a right. _We're _Leo's _favourites_." Lily and I flicked the collars of our nightshirts up in unison before bursting out into giggles.

"Keep on like that and you won't be for very much longer." Leo muttered, and I stared at Lily before nodding. We turned on him wearing the ultimate weapon- the puppy dog pout. The saviour of all women and girls, the puppy-dog pout was practically invincible against everything. Well, except for Leo.

"Don't you give me the puppy-dog pout, I invented that look!" Leo scolded, sounding somewhat outraged, and also like he was trying to hold back laughter. He returned with a pout of his own, and the boys oohed.

"Sorry girls, but it looks better on him." James remarked, and he and Sirius burst out laughing. Eventually, Sirius fell off his chair, onto the floor, still laughing as the rest of us joined in.

"They get better pancakes because they don't molest their food like you four do." The boys looked ashamed of themselves as Leo said this, and we just grinned at them.

"So, Leo...Quidditch...Quidditch huh? Quidditch pitch. Playing Quidditch..." James muttered like a crazy person, and we all stared at him like he was one.

"What about Quidditch?" Leo asked, perplexed, and James jumped up, pointing a finger at him.

"Play Quidditch you say? Well okay, whatever the host suggests!"James exclaimed before grabbing Sirius' arm and dragging him out into the yard quickly, leaving us staring after him, shaking our heads.

"Why do I feel like I should have expected that?" Leo asked, his eyebrows wrinkled.

"Well, it is James. You know how Quidditch obsessed he is..." Remus said, and Leo nodded before we were interrupted.

"Quidditch? Did someone say Quidditch?" Mr Ellwood asked, running in frantically, scanning the room.

"Sure dad, Sirius and James just went to play and-" He was cut off as his father ran out into the yard after them, and Leo rolled his eyes.

"He is as Quidditch-obsessed as James." I murmured, mystified, and Leo shook his head.

"Told you. Now come on, we should get out there before they break something. Especially themselves." He muttered the last bit, but we all heard him, and had to hold back laughs.

That was James and Sirius, definitely.

* * *

(A/N): So, what do you think?

I'm sorry if it seems like Leo is becoming a gary-stue, what with the whole, 'magically being able to cook' thing. I mean, he is twelve, he shouldn't be able to cook so well, right? I'm fourteen, and I can cook reasonably well, so why can't he?

Thanks for all the reviews!

Please review and/or check out my other stories!

P.S: Over 80,000 words!


	62. Quidditch and Injuries

(A/N): Hey Guys! I go to the Zoo tomorrow, yay! I'm going to avoid the reptile house and the nocturnal house, because I freak out around Snakes and bats. Also, the aviary, because birds fricken _hate_ me!

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Leo, Elaine, Shari, Nicholai and Mia.

* * *

Leo

The others and I, excluding Sirius and James, made our way outside, towards the Quidditch pitch that had been constructed many years ago by my father's relatives.

"Why _do_ you have a Quidditch pitch, Blue? I thought your father said it was too dangerous?" Remus questioned, and I could hear Shari snicker.

"You know why." Told him darkly, ignoring the fact that Lily and Peter were still with us. I could feel them glanced at each other in confusion.

"So, you can actually play then? I mean, we've seen you fly," Elaine started, blushing at this part as she remembered the first and only time she had seen me fly. "but never actually play." I shrugged.

"I'm a fair player." At this point, Shari burst out laughing, and the others stared at her.

"Fair? It's the only thing he can beat me at!" Shari exclaimed, and they now stared at me. I pretended I had noticed, instead observing Sirius, James and my father, who were now flying above us.

"You couldn't stop dad?" Shari grinned at me before shaking her head.

"It's Quidditch." She said simply, and I nodded, knowing exactly what she had meant. Once my father hears the word, you can't stop him. Hopefully, this time, he would listen.

"It's also really unfair." I noted, and Lily raised an eyebrow.

"I don't think the age difference is going to help him much." I shook my head, knowing she didn't really understand because she didn't know all the facts.

"It's not that." Elaine muttered, and I silently thanked her. Staring up at them, I saw Sirius pass to James, who went to pass back to Sirius, but my father intercepted it, spinning in the air before shooting. From halfway down the pitch, he still managed to score.

James and Sirius's mouths hung open, and I silently glared at my father's airborn figure.

"I hope you didn't get your Quidditch skills from your dad." Lily said weakly, and I smirked slightly, rather pleased.

"Oh, I did." Along with other things that you will _never_ know about.

Seeing us on the ground, my father signalled to the two gaping boys, and they spiralled to land on the grass.

"Want to play?" My father asked the rest of us, who all shook our heads.

Lily hated Quidditch, Remus and Peter were afraid of heights, and Elaine had never learned how. I, however, shook my head, because I wanted to keep my secret, _secret_.

"Aw, come on son, play with us. You can make the teams fair." James and Sirius's eyes widened at the thought of my father having another player on his team.

"If you do play, one of us will have to be on Mr. Ellwood's team, otherwise you'll just both kick our arses." Dad and I smirked at each other, and I reluctantly nodded to the urges of the small group formed behind me.

"Go Leo!" I heard Lily shout from the makeshift stands (A.K.A: lawn chairs), and I grinned adown at her with a small, jerky wave before refocusing on the game about to start.

I was on Sirius's team, seeing as he had slightly less experience with Quidditch than James, and James was with dad.

"Go!" Shari yelled sharply, throwing the Quaffle into the air. Since there were only four players, two on each team, we each had to play a part. There was no seeker, Sirius and James were both beaters, and keepers, and my father and I were both chasers.

As soon as the moulded ball was launched into the air, I made my decision.

After it.

I sped towards it, as fast as my broom would allow, and caught it with one hand, tucking it to my side as I dodged the bludger James had shot at me. I almost didn't need to; he was that bad at it.

My father tried to intercept me, and take the Quaffle, but I barrel rolled the broom underneath his, only inches apart, me completely upside down for a few seconds, before righting myself as I came clear of my father. I drew back my arm, and shot the Quaffle towards the centre goal. James was in the middle, but perhaps five feet below the actual goal, and it was a lot harder to go up quickly in this game than it was to go sideways.

Elaine, Remus, Lily and Peter cheered as the Quaffle passed through the hoop, leaving my team ten points up.

An hour later, a few risky manoeuvres on my part, and one injury, we stopped playing.

"You hit me in the head with a bat!" James yelled at Sirius, holding a hand to the ice pack now resting on his forehead, and Sirius shrugged, looking sheepish.

"Well, you shouldn't have been flying directly below me." Sirius told him, and I rolled my eyes.

"Maybe you shouldn't have dropped your bat?" Elaine suggested, obviously trying to hold back laughter while Sirius half-glared at her.

"Maybe you should learn to fly." Elaine paled, and Shari smirked at me evilly.

"Yes, maybe you should. Leo will teach you." I glared at her.

"You just love volunteering me for things that could get me killed, don't you?" Elaine looked like she was trying to decide whether to be angry at my comment or not, but she shrugged.

"You know what? If Leo agrees, I'd love to be taught how to fly." I raised an eyebrow at her, but she shrugged as if to say, 'why the hell not?' Shari grinned at me, still somewhat evilly.

"See Leo, she wants to be taught." I rolled my eyes at her before shrugging.

"Fine, Elaine, I'll teach you." She beamed at me and danced around a little bit before seemingly remembering where she was.

"Shut up." She said, glaring at the others, who were now laughing harder than they had when Sirius had hit James.

"We'll start later." I told her, and she paled instantly, her eyes wide and pleading.

"Okay." She said weakly, nodding after swallowing to clear her throat of the fear I could feel burning through her veins.

"Later it is."

* * *

(A/N): So, what did you think?

This chapter was also pretty hard to write because I couldn't get into the mood to write.

Also, it's really hot here today. Or, it would only be warm, but it's been freezing lately, so it feels boiling. Or, at least, to me that is. My fingers have swollen up, and my sister hit my on the palm with a colander this morning (don't ask), and I now have a great big red mark where it hit.

Please review and/or check out my other stories!


	63. Mark My Words and Flight Practice

(A/N): Hey Guys! So, this chapter was a _lot_ easier to write, once I had started, because my flow is back! Unfortunately, there probably won't be another chapter tonight, seeing as it's already 9:30 p.m.

**This chapter has a lot of Eleo fluff as well!****! **So, enjoy it!

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Leo, Elaine, Nicholai, Shari and Mia.

* * *

Elaine

It was at dusk, much later the same day, that Leo first attempted to teach me how to fly.

"Leo!" I whined as we walked, alone, towards the shed where they kept their old brooms. "Can't we just...tell them I can fly?" I asked feebly, and I could tell he was grinning.

"No, James and Sirius will test you. Besides, they'd know if we just never spent any time outside on this." I huffed, resisting the childish urge to stomp my foot.

"I don't see why I have to learn. Flying is _completely_ unnecessary." He slowly turned to face me, a small smile on his lips, one eyebrow raised.

"Damsel, are you afraid of a little bit of height?" Istared at him for a minute before spluttering my response.

"N-no. You can't p-prove that!" He grinned at me before grabbing one of my hands, dragging me towards the shed.

"Don't worry Elaine," He said, swinging his leg over the broom he had collected, before reaching out a hand to me. "I won't let you fall." It was one of those rare times where he called me by my first time, and I frowned, staring at his hand before taking it.

"Alright, but I'm holding you to that!" I told him, moving to slide onto the broom behind him, only to have him stop me.

"Uh-uh, you sit in front." My eyerbrows wrinkled, and I thought back to the last time I had flown, to the last time _we_ had flown.

"But last time-" He cut me off with a shake of the head.

"Last time it was for transportation. This time, it's for teaching." He raised an eyebrow at me to make sure I got what he was saying. "You sit up front, so you can see." I stared at him before frowning and biting my lip.

"Do I really _want_ to be able to see?" He chuckled lightly before tugging on my hand, pulling onto the broom in front of him.

"Leo!" I scolded, but he just laughed again, and I turned my head slightly to glance at him. His pale blonde hair shone gold in the dying rays of the sun, and his bright blue eyes twinkled with mirth and promise.

"Come on, Dams, face your fears." He told me quietly, and I gulped slightly before curling my hands around the broom handle.

"What do I do?" I asked, staring at the polished wood blankly, frankly not having a clue.

"First time around, it's the same as last time, I fly, except you're in front." I nodded quickly, gripping onto the broom even tighter as Leo wrapped an arm securely around my waist and pushed off from the ground gently.

"Mmmm." I whimpered, and I hear Leo chuckled lightly before gripping the handle, just behind my hands, with the other hand, his arm pressed against my side. I felt safer like this, like I wouldn't fall off, even though I knew I still could. We circled the Quidditch pitch once, around ten feet off the ground before Leo decided we should go higher.

"Ready?" He asked, and I shook my head furiously.

"No!" I exclaimed, and I could practically _feel_ him grinning.

"Too bad!" He crowed gently, angling the broom upwards, to around twenty feet off the ground.

I gulped in fear as I glanced down at the ground far below, my heart racing in my chest, vowing to never do so again.

About halfway through our second lap of the pitch, Leo rested his chin on my shoulder, and I smiled.

"Tired?" I asked him, quietly, trying desperately to control my own heartbeat, from both the fear, and the excitement.

"No, just comfortable." I rolled my eyes. How could one ever be comfortable on a broomstick? Not only was it terrifying, but also painful in places I wouldn't care to admit in public. It must be hell on the boys!

After another lap, Leo started to descend us to the ground, after warning me first, of course.

"We're about to touch down." He warned me, his voice in my ear, and a second later, we landed, gently, in the rough middle of the Quidditch pitch.

I could feel the fear shooting through my veins still as we both dismounted, but also something else...

Adrenaline.

That high, that _rush_ of adrenaline...made me want to do it again. To fly. Perhaps, next time, I wouldn't be so scared.

...

Yeah, right.

"Told you I wouldn't let you fall." Leo said as he returned from placing the broom back in the broom shed, and I simply nodded in agreement.

"That you did." We went back to the house, and I marvelled at how I had managed not to lose my dinner the entire time I had been up there, on the broom.

"Okay, you two, straight to bed. The others have already gone, so you might as well." Leo and I nodded, and we parted ways at the top of the stairs.

Leo was sleeping in his room, James and Sirius sleeping in one of the spare rooms, Remus and Peter in another, and Lily and I yet another spare room. I swear to Merlin, these people had more rooms than they knew what to do with!

I slid in through the smallest opening I could make with the door and into our shared room, being extra quiet in case Lily was asleep, silently hoping she was.

"So, how was flight practise?" She asked with a large, smug grin, and I groaned before flopping backwards onto the mattress.

"It was terrifying." She raised an eyebrow pointedly.

"What? Nothing else? Come on Elaine, give me some gossip!" Lily pushed, and I rolled my eyes.

"What do you want to know? It was just flight practise, after all." Lily stared at me.

"You. Leo. You obviously have crushes on each other."

"No-" I tried to protest, but Lily placed a hand over my mouth.

"Mark my words, you two will admit it one day, and you will get married and have kids together. If not, I'll kill you." I widened my eyes at Lily's threat, and she rolled over.

"Lils...you weren't serious about that were you?" I asked cautiously, a few minutes later, slightly scared of her answer.

"Nah, I'll probably just slap you two around a bit until we can get the shotgun wedding underway." I wrinkled my forehead.

"Isn't that the one where the woman's already pregnant?" Lily nodded, but went on to explain.

"Yeah, but I'm using to mean 'we'll hold you at gun point till your married'." I stared at the ceiling for a minute before sighing.

"Whatever, night Lily." I could practically hear her smirking, thinking she had won.

"Night Elaine." She replied with a yawn.

Alright, so maybe I had a teensy crush on Leo, my best friend, but that was alright, wasn't it? Lots of people have crushes on their best friends! But he definitely, _definitely_ does _not_ have a crush on me.

* * *

(A/N): So, what did you think of the chapter?

And, what do you think of the ship name 'Eleo'?

Please review and/or check out my other stories!


	64. Warmth

(A/N): Hey Guys! I LIED! I said that the last one would be the last chapter I wrote tonight, but it was 10:20 p.m when I finished this, but I won't get to upload it until at least tomorrow, because I can't write another chapter until tomorrow, and I've started my program again.

More ELEO!

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Leo, Elaine, Shari (I always misspell her name as Shair here), Nicholai (and his as Nicholair), and Mia.

* * *

Leo

I have a crush on Elaine. A _massive_ one. Like, huge. When I made my way to my room, after watching her enter the spare one she shared with Lily, I found Remus there, waiting for me.

"So, how was flight practice?" Remus asked, trying to sound inconspicuous, but I knew he and Lily had teamed up, seeing as I could hear her, currently interrogating Elaine.

"Screw you." I muttered, dropping onto my bed, arms crossed over my chest as I stared at him.

"Ooh, feisty." He remarked dryly, rolling his eyes. "So? What happened?" I scratched the back of my head, recalling exactly what had happened.

"Why do you want to know? Better yet, why does Lily want to know?" He opened his mouth to reply to the first one before snapping it shut again at the second.

"So, you could hear her asking Elaine then?" I nodded in confirmation, and he shook his head.

"We probably should have anticipated that." I chuckled lightly, grinning at him.

"So, now that you know, why did you ask? Why are you in my room, Moony?" He winced before raising an eyebrow.

"It's obvious that you and Elaine like each other, and Lily wants gossip. Plus, everyone who's ever met you guys wants you together." I rolled my eyes externally, while internally, I freaked out.

_Like each other? She likes me too? Was he lying? Is he sure? That can't be right, she wouldn't like me! I'm a monster, and she knows it! He must be wrong. He _must_ be._

"Lily always wants gossip." I managed to get out smoothly, before continuing on to the next topic. "And we _don't_ like each other." Well, she doesn't like me. "Who the hell wants us together? That's just random, and very creepy." Remus shook his head, glancing at the ceiling before burying his face in his hand.

"You're totally oblivious, aren't you?" I lowered my eyebrows, looking puzzled.

"How can I be oblivious, when there's _nothing going on_?" I emphasised, and Remus shook his head again before standing up.

"Whatever. Just, remember this, okay? Elaine likes you, and deep down, you like her too, we all know it. So, just...I don't know...kiss her? I'm not good with this stuff." He admitted, rubbing the back of his neck as if embarrassed. "And remember, if you hurt her, you hurt yourself." He said, before closing the door behind him, and I heard him walking back to the room he shared with Peter.

"What the hell does that mean?" Does she really like me? I don't want to hurt her, and I won't, _ever_.

The next morning, I woke up earlier than all the others, and dressed myself in a pair of faded jeans and a worn, pale green t-shirt.

I made breakfast for the whole house, wolfed my down, and made my way outside, where my father and Shari were waiting for me.

"Ready for training?" Shari asked, and I nodded, remaining silent.

"Today, we will be attempting agility, and sneaking." My father told me, and I noticed, for the first time, the obstacles strewn around the yard. A couple of dozen logs stood on their ends, about five feet apart and in a zig-zagging pattern, two verticals poles, also around five feet apart, a rockwall (don't ask me where they got, it was probably magically constructed!), a rope swing, and a whole array of other obstacles that I would need to overcome.

"Okay, that's a little overkill." I said quietly, and Shari smirked at me.

"Oh Leo, you can handle can't you? After all, you think yourself invincible. I glared at her before staring the course down.

"Take on the obstacle course in the way you see fit." Was all the help my father offered me, and I stared at the course again before he said go.

I took off quickly, but not too quickly, staying lightly on my feet. I never put my full weight into anything, and eventually, I had managed to conquer all the obstacles.

"Okay, one last time, all together now." I took off through the course again, pouncing from stump to stump, swinging myself around one vertical pole before grabbing the next and doing the same, scaling the rockwall and flinging myself over it, rolling under the mess of barb-wire (I still had a cut on my cheek from where I had stuffed that up the first time), and wrapping the rope around my hand before swinging across the low mud-pit onto safe ground. Just as I finished the rest of the course, someone clapped.

I spun around quickly, to see Elaine standing off to the side, wrapped in a blanket, munching on a piece of toast that I had obviously made.

"Leo, trainings finished." Shari told me, glancing at Elaine warily before returning into the house, leaving my father to cleaning up the rather great mess of the obstacle course.

"Well done." I nodded in acknowledgement as I sat on the ground behind her, frowning as I saw the mud encrusted on the bottom of my pant-leg. "So, that's the training you were talking about?" She asked, and I nodded again.

Did she really like me?

She removed an arm from her blanket cocoon, grabbing my arm and dragging me to the bench that sat against the wall of the house, pushing me down gently before sitting beside me, and draping the blanket over the both of us.

She curled into my side, absorbing the warmth, and I chuckled slightly.

"Don't do that." She stared up at me, looking vaguely worried. "I smell." I explained, and she giggled slightly before sniffing me lightly.

"No you don't." She rested her head on my shoulder again.

Did that mean she liked me?

...

Nah, Lily did that all the time!

Does Lily like me?

No! No, Lily doesn't like me! No one liked me.

_Especially_ Lily.

I rested my head on top of hers lightly, and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer to my side.

"What are you training for?" She asked, and my eyebrows wrinkled. How to answer?

"It doesn't matter. We're just...training." I said simply. I hated having to lie to her, but this wasn't a _lie_ really it was just withholding the truth. I've been told, however, that that's just as bad as lying.

Good one Leo, vow one night not to hurt her, next morning, lie to her face!

"Okay." She said believingly, and it honestly sounded like she didn't care if I answered her or not. She had just needed to ask.

"I like this." I said, and I could practically feel her confusion. "You're warm." I added, and she giggled quietly.

"So are you."

* * *

(A/N): Daw! What did you think?

Please review and/or check out my other stories!


	65. Truth or Dare

(A/N): Hey Guys! So, I went to the Adelaide zoo today, and it was great!...right up until the point I got kicked in the stomach by a goat. At the petting zoo! (though, the deer in there are ADORABLE!) I saw every animal, and I had fun! I was put in a group with a girl I'm kind of friends with, this supposedly really annoying boy, and this girl I know who can be a little bit annoying. At first I was like, oh, I can deal with that. And by the end of the day, we were like, best friends.

I'll probably update again tomorrow as I won't be going to school. My grandfather is going in for eye surgery, and my parents won't be able to pick me up, so they're just keeping me home. So, yay, updating!

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Leo, Elaine, Shari, Nicholai and Mia.

P.S: This chapter is supposed to be LIGHT and FLUFFY.

EDIT: I had to edit this chapter slightly due to a mix up between characters.

* * *

Leo

That night, we moved all our mattresses, including the one from my bed, into the lounge room on the first floor. We set up the mattresses so they were pushed together, three in the top row, three on the bottom row, and Lily's mattress facing inwards on the outside.

It went Lily, then Remus and I next to her, across from each other, Elaine on my left, Peter on his, then James on the end of my row, and Sirius at the end of Remus's. We put Lily on the outside edge deliberately, so she and James wouldn't fight so much, and the other arrangements kind of fell into place.

We had a whole mess of covers and pillows, along with quite the large amount of snack foods.

"Other than getting sick, what exactly are we doing?" Elaine asked curiously, and I shrugged.

"I don't know, it wasn't my idea." I looked to the others.

"Who's idea _was_ this?!" James exclaimed, looking somewhat panicked, before Shari piped up from the kitchen. I knew she was there, but the others thought she had gone to bed. Of course, full vampires don't sleep, so that would never really be true.

"It was mine." The others jumped slightly, and I heard her chuckle.

"Go away Shari." I muttered, and of course, she heard me.

"You go away Judy!" Sirius' eyes widened.

"The woman has ears like a bat!" Remus, Elaine and I rolled our eyes at each other.

"Call me a bat again and you won't _have_ ears, black!" Shari threatened, and Sirius paled while Lily burst out laughing uncontrollably.

"Ah, that's great!" Lily exclaimed, wiping tears of mirth from her cheeks, which were red, while Sirius glared at her.

"Glad you think so." He grumbled, crossing his arms under his chest.

"Whatever." I announced, catching their attention. "How about some sort of party games?" Sirius went to raise his hand, a little too enthusiastically, but I shot him down.

"Nothing illegal or immoral!" He slowly lowered his hand, mad grin gone, replaced by a pout.

"Any suggestions from this side?" Elaine asked, drawing an invisible line between her, James, and Sirius, and gesturing to those on the other side of it.

"How about um...truth or dare?" Remus suggested, and I winced while the others nodded furiously.

"What are the rules?" Peter asked, and Remus shrugged.

"Just the basic ones I guess. If you don't want to answer, you have to do a dare, and if you don't want to do a dare, you have to answer a question." I nodded, pleased with these terms.

"Who's going first?" Elaine asked, and we glanced at each other before lily shrugged.

"I'll go, I guess. Um...Peter." Peter glanced up, and I could tell that he had been praying it wouldn't be him who was chosen. "Truth or Dare?"

"Oh, uh...dare I guess." James grinned evilly from the other side of Elaine, and I could tell I wouldn't choose dare if James was the one presenting it.

"Okay... I want you to..." She smiled instantly, and Peter shrivelled slightly. "Kiss Shari on the cheek!" Peter paled, and for a second, I thought he was going to back out, but his Gryffindor spirit shone through.

"Alright." He choked out, standing, tugging at his clothes nervously before walking into the kitchen. A few seconds later...

"Ew!" I heard Shari screech, and Peter darted back into the room, jumping onto his bed.

"Okay, next." Lily said, and Peter looked around the circle.

"Elaine, truth or dare?" Elaine paled slightly before blinking.

"Uh...I'm going to also choose dare." Peter frowned, scratching his chin.

"I dare you to run five laps of the house."

Ten minutes, a trip outside, and an exhausted Elaine later, the dare was completed.

"Okay, my turn. Um...James, Truth or Dare?" She managed to get out coherently between pants. What can I say, my house was huge, and she was only human after all.

"Truth." James answered, instantly, and Elaine frowned slightly. Not enough for others to notice, but I definitely noticed it with my superior-sight.

"Do you or do you not have a crush on Lily?" Lily blushed furiously, both a lot, and angrily, and James did the same.

"I choose dare." James spluttered, and this pretty much answered the question for her anyway, but Elaine wasn't through torturing him.

"I want you to wear one of Lily's spare shirts for the entire night." James turned bright red again, and I expected lily to object, but she actually handed him one of the spare shirts from her suitcase.

He turned around, standing now, pulled off his shirt, and pulled on Lily's shirt, which was quite the tight fit.

"You couldn't give me any other shirt?" He asked, somewhat grumpily, but still amused, turning to reveal the light pink shirt. Across the chest, written in bold, bright red glittered letters, was the word, 'Fabulous!'

"Thanks Lily!" Sirius congratulated her, while she high-fived Elaine.

"Okay, my turn." James said, and Lily and Elaine fell silent, waiting for the backlash of their prank. "Remus," Remus turned to stare at him, and Lily and Elaine let out a breath of relief. "Truth or Dare?" Remus seemed to consider it for a few minutes before nodding.

"Truth." James smirked, and I felt bad for Remus. A poor pawn he was, in this game of vengeance.

"Who would you rather date, Sirius or Leo?" I blinked, and Sirius burst out laughing, while Remus looked like he was going to be sick.

"Neither!" James rolled his eyes.

"Well, if you had to choose." Remus stared at him in disbelief for a minute before starting to actually think about the question at hand.

"I think...I'd date Leo. He just seems like a nicer person to date." Sirius pouted, looking a little put out, but I just shook my head lightly, amused.

"My turn." Remus said, and he surveyed us like a lion surveys his prey. This scared me slightly. "Pete," I almost sighed in relief. "Truth or Dare?"

"Truth!" Peter exclaimed, remembering his last dare.

"Okay. Who would you rather date, Lily or Elaine?" Somehow, Peter's truth turned out to be just as dangerous as the dare he had chosen in the previous turn. Elaine and Lily looked outraged at Remus, but watched on silently for Peter's answer.

"Well...they're both very pretty." They nodded, showing that he was going well so far. "But I actually think I wouldn't date either of them." The girls blinked, looking extremely surprised. "I mean, you're both great, but you also have very fiery tempers. I tend to say a lot of stupid things, and I don't want to get punched in the face," He looked to Lily here. "Or hurt in some other miscellaneous way." He now looked to Elaine, who grinned. We stared at him for a minute, before James rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, but if you_ had_ to?" He pushed, and Peter shrugged.

"I'd say Lily." Lily fist-pumped, while Elaine frowned slightly.

"Is it because you're less scared of her?" James asked, and Peter shook his head.

"No, it's because I'm less scared of _you_." Peter glanced at me before his gaze darted away again. What did he mean by that? "Now, it's my turn again." He glanced around the circle. "Leo." I let my eyes close for a second in dread before opening them again. "Truth or Dare?" I considered it for a minute.

If I say truth, they'll just ask something I can't, or won't, answer, and I'll have to do a dare, so i might as well just choose dare.

"Dare." Remus raised an eyebrow, but I ignored him.

"Alright um...I dare you to...make me an omelette." Apparently, Pete was hungry, as the others groaned. They had been planning on making me do something else, then.

One omelette later, I settled back on my mattress to continue the game.

"My turn." I told them with a grin, cutting through the conversation they had managed to start up in my absence. "Um...James." He glanced up and I thought hard. "Truth or Dare?" His gaze flicked down again while thinking it over, before moving back up.

"Dare." He said confidently, before I grinned at him.

"I dare you to sing 'Do You Think I'm Sexy' by Rod Stewart to Lily." Both Lily and James went pale, while the others couldn't control their laughter.

"A truth please?" James whimpered, and I shrugged.

"Who you rather date if Severus had a twin brother, the Twin, or him?" James stared at me before shaking his head.

"Dare it is." I grinned, and grabbed the record from the shelf in the corner. Luckily, I had it on hand. I set it up in the Gramophone, and glanced back at him. He nodded, and I placed the needle down, and the music started playing.

James started clicking his fingers to the beat.

**_Sugar,_**

**_Sugar,_**

**_She sits alone waiting for suggestions__  
__He's so nervous, avoiding all the questions__  
__His lips are dry, her heart is gently pounding__  
__Don't you just know exactly what they're thinking?_**

Every few words, laughter bubbled through his lips, and he had started across the mattresses towards Lily, who was still seated on hers.

**_If you want my body and you think I'm sexy_**

Here, he placed his hands on his hips, and rolled his hips in a circle. Lily blushed brightly, struggling to hold back laughter, while the rest of us didn't even try.

**_Come on sugar let me know__  
__If you really need me just reach out and touch me__  
__Come on honey tell me so, tell me so baby._**

Here, I removed the record, ending the performance, because evn James was now on the floor, collapsed in laughter.

"Don't do that, I was just starting to get into the zone." James said breathily, between hearty chuckles, but I shook my head, my grin not leaving.

"Unlike the rest of you, I have to get up early tomorrow, so I suggest we sleep." James frowned before moving back to his mattress.

"One more round, since it's still my turn?" James suggested, and I rolled my eyes but nodded. It was always going to be _someone's_ turn!

"Okay. I choose you, Leo. Truth or Dare?" I raised an eyebrow at him before shrugging.

"Truth, I guess." I might as well.

"Any siblings?" This must have seemed like a pass off, an easy question to end the game, seeing as the others didn't know about Mia, but I sat down in my bed silently.

"One." Lily, Elaine and Remus sat up to stare at me, but I pretended not to notice. I could tell my father and Shari were listening to my every word now, from the kitchen, but I didn't particularly care. "A younger, half-sister. She's ten, and her name's Mia." I relaxed enough to lay down, and the light disappeared as my father switched the light off.

It was silent for a minute.

"Night." Peter said, and I smiled to myself as we all echoed the call as one.

A few seconds later, Elaine curled into my side, hugging me around the waist.

"Thanks." I whispered, as quietly as possible, into her ear, and I definitely meant it.

She was my best friend, my rock, my confidant.

She was perfection personified, to me at least.

* * *

(A/N): Aw! So, what did you think?

I know 'Do ya think I'm Sexy' Didn't come out until 1978, and it's only like, just before the start of 1973, but I couldn't think of another song for James to sing.

I hope you liked it!

Please review and/or check out my other stories!

P.S: This fanfic currently has over 4,000 (4,008) views!


	66. Christmas, It's Christmas

(A/N): Hey Guys! So, this chapter is also so, so fluffy, with lot's of Eleo! This chapter will be chapter sixy-six. When the chapter reach 68, I will have broken my promise to keep the second year shorter than the first, seeing as the first was thirty-four chapters in total. And it _will_ pass 68, seeing as it's only like, a third of the way, if that, through the school year.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Leo, Elaine, Shari, Nicholai and Mia.

* * *

Leo

Almost a week had passed since the Marauders, Lily and Elaine had arrived for the holidays, and it was now Christmas day.

"Christmas, Christmas, wake up Leo, it's Christmas!" Sirius screamed into my ear, bouncing on my bed. I had heard him come in with the others, but hadn't cared much until Sirius started yelling. I raised a hand and quickly shoved him from my bed, lightly enough to not cause injury, but hard enough to _get. Him. Off_.

"Aw, don't be like that." Sirius said, wheezing slightly as he did so, clambering off the ground again.

" Screw you." I murmured, rolling over and covering myself with the sheet again.

"Don't worry, I'll wake him up." I heard Shari say, and I jumped out of my bed. I didn't sit up, and climb out, I was laying down, and then I was standing up. I had used vampire speed. In front of Lily.

Thank god she wasn't paying attention! Actually, no one really was.

"Ah, I see you're already up." Shari said smugly, and I rolled my eyes, grumbling under my breath while I pulled on a pair of pants. Pants are essential, don't you know?

I settled on a pair of jeans, and a white tank top under a light blue knit sweater. I wasn't wearing shoes, because I was still half asleep, and I had noticed that no one else was anyway.

"Christmas, Christmas!" Sirius chirped again, and I rolled my eyes, running a hand through my hair absentmindedly to get it off my face.

"Okay, I get it. It's Christmas, now will you please stop yelling?" I was _so_ tired. I don't get it! I slept fine, what was this?! Of course, I glanced at the clock for the first time and realised why I was so tired.

"Really Sirius? Four a.m?" Sirius looked a little sheepish, and Elaine rested a hand on my shoulder.

"Well..." He trailed off, and I stared at him, waiting for a reason.

"He and James wanted to see the sunrise. But, what with the time they take to do everything, we had to wake up extra early, otherwise we'd miss it." Elaine explained, and Sirius nodded. I glanced behind me, to where Elaine was standing, before back at Sirius.

"Whatever. As long as I get to curl up on the couch under a blanket, I'll be fine." He beamed at me and raced out, and I could feel Elaine grinning at me.

"You won't regret it!" Sirius called back down the hallway, and I rolled my eyes. I already was!

"Thanks." Elaine said quietly, and I turned around to stare at her, confused.

"What for?" She smiled softly, looking somewhat embarrassed.

"For everything." Then, she leaned in, and kissed me on the cheek. I stood stunned, while she walked out.

_What did this mean?_

_Did she like me?_

_Or was it just a friend thing?_

I shook my head, clearing the thoughts, and exited my bedroom, making my way to the lounge room.

"We'll be going outside after breakfast." Lily told me as I sat down next to her, and I could hear Shari cooking. I was supremely glad that I didn't have to be the one to cook this morning, I could barely see straight, let alone cook!

"Cool." I told her, rather dully, wrapping myself in the blanket hung over the back of the small couch, huddling in the corner, resting my head on the armrest.

"Ha, you look so young when you do that." Lily told me, giggling, and I glared at her half-heartedly.

"You look young." Her face screwed up as she tried to figure it out.

"That doesn't make sense as an insult." I shrugged, biting lightly on my lip out of habit.

"Who said it was an insult?" This left her completely confused.

"Here you go." Shari announced as she entered the room, along with my father, our various breakfast dishes in their arms. She handed the others theirs, either pancakes or eggs, and my father handed me mine.

Bacon, sausages, hot chips, two fried eggs, and a fried slice of tomato.

"You spoil me." I whimpered, staring down at the food, before digging in with the fork he had presented me with.

"Well, that made him happier." I heard James say, and the others giggling quietly, but I ignored them in favour of my breakfast.

"Yeah, we could never make him that happy." Remus said, and I rolled my eyes.

"That's because you're not food." I told him, and Elaine grinned at him.

"Though, if the phrase 'you are what you eat' is true, you'll soon turn into a giant chocolate bar." Remus raised his eyebrows, pretending to look shocked.

"Oh, oh! They tag-teamed me!" He exclaimed, sounding outrage, though the grin on his face said otherwise.

"Don't worry Remmy, I'll protect you!" Sirius claimed, pushing Remus back slightly with his hand, leaning in front of him as if to ward off attack.

"I doubt you'd do any good, Sirius." Lily said, rolling her eyes, and James grinned.

"Oh I don't know, we might be able to stun them with our good looks!" James suggested, and Lily rolled her eyes, glaring at him, arms crossed over her chest.

"You wish! The only thing you can stun people with is your face, because you are _ug-ly_." She enunciated, and James pouted, looking a little put out.

"You can be so _cruel_ in the morning." I noted, and she grinned back at me.

"Yeah, but it's worth it." I glanced at Elaine, who was currently watching James and Sirius wrestle over, and I quote, 'Who had the most "charmiest good looks"'. I mean, charmiest isn't even a word!

She was wearing a dark red, almost burgundy, long sleeve shirt, a pair of loose sweat pants, her dark brown hair in a loose bun. Her red-dyed fringe was hanging free though, and the small gap between her two front teeth was closing, but still freakishly adorable. Her pale skin practically glowed, and even in a casual setting like this, she was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen.

...

Did I really just think that?

I rolled my eyes at myself, and caught Lily staring at me like I was a weirdo, so I shrugged at her.

"Finished!" Sirius yelled, being the last one to finish, for once, and we all reluctantly stood up, making our way outside.

We sat there, for more than an hour, all wrapped in blankets, and the sun started to rise. Elaine rested her head on my shoulder, and I stare at the rising sun.

She was still the most beautiful thing I had ever seen.

* * *

(A/N): So what did you think?

All I want for Christmas this year is for an excitable twelve-year old Sirius to jump on my bed, screaming, "Christmas, it's Christmas, wake up Kelly, it's Christmas!"

If you can get me this, I don't care what gender, I will marry you and love you unconditionally.

Please review and/or check out my other stories!


	67. Love and Death

(A/N): Hey Guys! So, this chapter is from Sirius's PoV! That's great right? No. I made him really, really bitter. Seriously. Bitter.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Leo, Elaine, Shari, Nicholai and Mia.

* * *

Sirius

After breakfast, and watching the sunrise, we went back into the lounge room, where a small Christmas tree had been set up.

Apparently, at seven our parents were going to send their presents. Personally, I could wait.

I glanced over at Leo and Elaine, who were walking closer than two people usually would, and grinned, shaking my head lightly.

How are they so oblivious of each other?

It was completely obvious that she liked him, and it was less so, but still obvious, that he did as well. Why didn't they just admit it and get it over with? Get married, have some munchkins.

I shuddered slightly at the thought of marriage. Every marriage I had ever seen, or experienced, was ruined, or well on it's way out. It made me believe that love just _didn't work_ in the long run. I mean, if they wanted to get married, and they thought it could work, all the best to them, but every relationship I have ever seen has ended in tears, heartbreak, and in some situations, death.

Why be with the same person forever, love them so strong and heartily, only to have them die in your arms as you yourself waste away to nothing more than a shell of the person you once were?

If you even make it that far. A lot of couples split, or break up, as you know, and with marriage, things get that much more difficult. There's divorce, and what if you have kids? Would you stay together for their sakes, even if it made you both miserable?

Would you sacrifice your happiness for another's? Or even, your life?

Because if the answer is no, I would never sacrifice my life for my love, or you don't know the answer, than you shouldn't get married. You shouldn't make a commitment to someone who truly loves you, because if you can't answer, that means you don't love them with your full heart, and they are better off without you.

What would you do for the one you love? If the answer is _anything_, unconditionally, than you might have a chance of making it together. That's not to say though, that your intended partner feels the same way. What if they reject you? Would you be able to cope?

You say you love this woman, but do you? If you do, and she rejects you, than you would never truly recover. The hole might heal over, but the crack's still going to be there, you know? Under the surface.

They say, those sappy couples who truly believe they are in love, that if your love is right, and you love the other person enough, than everything will work. See, I don't believe that. There must be some things that even _love_ can't control.

Like death.

If you love someone like that, without bounds, and they die...you would lose a part of yourself. A big part, you wouldn't be whole anymore.

So really...what's the point in love? Everything I've seen leads me to believe that there is not possible _good_ outcome from loving someone.

You will never escape the pain that clings to love like a tight dress, but you may be able to _survive_ it.

Not through that whole cheesy 'Love will find a way' crap, but through actually doing the best you can to ensure that you and your partner remain, strong and true to each other, and even then there is one thing _nothing_ in this world can overcome.

_Death_.

It seems then, to me, that Love and Death, are one and the same. Interconnected.

After all, everyone you love dies, and everyone who dies is loved, right?

But what about those who have never known true love? What happens to them?

Do they die, and go to heaven, or perhaps even hell, if they exist, or do they simply perish like wasted food?

Do the ones we love really ever leave us?

* * *

(A/N): See what I did with that last line?

So, what did you think?

Please review and/or check out my other stories!


	68. Presents and Returning to Hogwarts

(A/N): Hey Guys! So, they are finally going back to Hogwarts! (Yay!)

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Leo, Elaine, Nicholai, Shari and Mia.

* * *

Leo

We sat around the Christmas tree, surrounded by presents, it was past seven, and the gifts had shown up on time.

"Ooh, what's this?" James asked, shaking the small box I remembered giving him with a gleeful expression, obviously curious. "From Leo?" He raised an eyebrow at me, staring at the little box.

"Just open it, James." He shrugged, and I did as I had told him, ripping the red and gold wrapping paper from the box, and prying open to reveal a golden snitch. He stared at it, open-mouthed.

"It's not a proper one, more of a training one really. I noticed how crap you were at playing beater, and your body's more suited to playing chaser, but at least this will give some practice as a seeker." He stared at me now, before launching himself at me, pulling into a tight hug.

"You know...just in case." I told him, and he released me.

"Best. Present. Ever!" He shouted, already starting to practice with small, golden, flying ball.

"Wow!" Lily gasped, pulling out a book I recognised, and I grinned. "First edition, Merlin's cookbook. It's got recipes for both potions and meals!" The red leather bound book had golden patterns pressed into it's surface, and the pages were soft and golden. A medium sized royal blue ribbon stuck out from behind the front cover, and Lily hugged it to her chest enthusiastically.

"I love it!" She seemed to pause for a second before checking the tag. "Leo! You shouldn't have." I shrugged, modestly. We had already kept it in the Library, so it hadn't cost me anything, but I knew how much she loved potions, and how much she needed to learn to cook. I swear, she was almost as bad as my father.

She moved onto another present, and I silently unwrapped my present from her.

"101 Dangerous Animals." I muttered, smirking slightly. If only she knew! I showed the book to Remus, who grinned.

"Now that's a good gift." I moved onto my next gift, which was from Elaine. Unwrapping the golden coloured box was easy, and once I pulled the actual gift from the cardboard box, I realised it was a polished wooden case. I locked eyes with Elaine and nodded, holding it up, and she smiled.

"I thought you could keep your balls in it." Everyone froze, and Elaine started to backpedalled as everyone burst out laughing.

"I mean- I meant- I was talking about- the Quidditch supplies!" She managed to get out through her embarrassment, her face now scarlet.

"Don't worry about it." I told her, bumping her shoulder with my fist as lightly as possible. "We all make mistakes." I grinned at her. "Though they aren't all as funny as that one." She grimaced, shaking her head.

"Whatever. I'm just glad it's over."

We spent an hour more unwrapping presents, and when Shari called the others into the kitchen for lunch, Elaine called me over to do up the present I had given her. She had unwrapped, I knew, but she hadn't shown it to the others, and I was secretly glad. They would have simply made fun of us, or claimed that we had crushes on each other, but we didn't. Well, she didn't.

I had given her a bracelet, with a small silver plaque in the centre, connected to the soft material cord that was attached to the two locks on either end, after a few metal rings.

The plaque was engraved, on both sides, but I only let her see one. The plaque was slightly curved, and the convex side, the side I was letting her see, said Damsel. The other side, however, was engraved in Latin, and was even more personal than a nickname.

Pollicitus sum nunquam vobis noceat.

_I promised to never hurt you. _

I had promised, and I was intending to keep that promise.

* * *

A few days later, and it was time for us to go back to Hogwarts.

"I really liked it here, Mr. Ellwood, Shari. Thank you for having us." Lily said for the others, who were rushing around, trying to make sure they had everything, even though it was too late now.

"Yeah, thanks!" Sirius called, still in James's headlock, and my father smiled in amusement.

"You're welcome, anytime." And the way he said it, I knew he meant it. Even though they were loud, boisterous, and had eaten him out of house and home, he still enjoyed their company during their stay.

"Now, quickly, or you'll miss your train!" Shari announced, pulling me into a tight hug before shooing the others away as my father did so as well.

"Bye son." I grinned at him widely.

"Bye dad, see you next summer!" He smiled indulgently, and I turned, running through the supposedly stone pillar and arriving on Platform nine and three quarters.

"Another train ride, and we're back at Hogwarts." Elaine said wistfully, and I smiled.

"I hope Minnie missed us!"

* * *

(A/N): So, what did you think?

I know my story skips around a bit, time wise, but that's only because nothing interesting goes on during those times!

The reason these chapters have been short recently is the fact that my muse has effectively stopped flowing, and I can't figure out what to write, so I just end the chapter there.

Please review and/or check out my other stories!


	69. Quiz and Individuality

(A/N): Hey Guys! So, the first two hundred words of this chapter took me two hours to write. I just _couldn't_ get into it. Then, suddenly, I put on a new song, closed everything else, and it just fell out. In like, half an hour, I wrote almost eight hundred words.

I'm a little distracted today, and I would have had this chapter done earlier, seeing as I didn't go to school today, but my Grandfather went in for eye surgery (which I told you about, and is the reason I didn't go to school), and my grandmother stayed with us for the day. He's fine, mostly, but he had a lens transplant (I think?) and he had to have an eye patch and stitches. The stitches come out tomorrow morning, so I might not be going to school again. He then has to go back on Monday, for what I'm not sure (my family have this habit of talking over each other [and by talking, I mean yelling], and you can't hear a thing they say), and he's paying my dad like, $50 to drive him there and back, and is paying for a shed roof to be fixed (it almost flew off the other day, it's that crap), so we're pretty okay with it.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Leo, Elaine, Nicholai, Shari and Mia.

* * *

Leo

As it turns out, Minnie did miss us, she just has a funny way of showing it.

"Leonides, Remus, I expect you two to have your holiday work in by our next lesson." She walked away after announcing this, a ghost of a smile on her usually stern face.

"She definitely missed us." I told Remus, and the others laughed. But we both know she did, in her own way. We had spent two months with her brewing that potion, we had gotten to know each other. Us her, her us.

"Definitely." He murmured in agreement, and I could see Elaine shake her head from her seat in front of mine, next to Lily.

"Having some trouble?" I asked her as quietly as possible, though making sure she could still hear me. She glanced over her shoulder at me, shaking her head.

"No, not exactly." I leaned back in my chair, curious, but not wishing to pry into things she didn't want me to know. After all, if I was entitled to privacy, then so was she.

It was our first day back at classes, and we had been surprised with a pop quiz. How unfair is that?! We go away for Christmas, forget everything we learned in the year, and then come back to a quiz? That's just cruel!

Luckily, however, Transfiguration was the last lesson of the day.

"Check out number six, and number nine." Remus whispered, and I grinned as I read them.

_Question six, what are the characteristics of an animagus?_

_Question nine, what are the key transfiguration groups?_

"Oh, she's just making this too easy." I whispered back, and I felt Lily turn her head slightly. Enough not to arouse suspicion, but the best to better your chances of hearing a quiet conversation.

Half an hour later, and our transfiguration class ended, along with the school day.

Our group, Lily, Elaine, Remus, the other Marauders and I, headed back to the common room where we relaxed by the fire for an hour.

Apparently, there was going to be an announcement at dinner, so we were all pretty excited about the prospect of going to the Great hall, even more so than normal.

"What do you think it could be?" Peter asked, on our way down to the Great Hall, and Sirius scratched his head.

"Maybe it's a feast!" I shook my head.

"They would have told us sooner." Now it was James's turn to pipe up.

"Maybe a Quidditch match has been cancelled." He sounded almost devastated, and I felt Lily roll her eyes.

"Is that all you care about?" She snarled at him, and he smirked at her.

"I care about you." I smiled slightly, as I felt Lily holding back a blush, both from anger and embarrassment.

"Shut up." She muttered, speeding up slightly to walk along side me.

"Don't worry James, she's just shy." Lily slapped me, hard, on the arm, and I felt James grin.

"Thanks." He whispered, and I was pretty sure I wasn't even meant to hear it, but I did.

"We all know she's going to end up with him." Elaine whispered on the other side of me, only loud enough for me to hear, and I smirked slightly.

"_Everyone_." I emphasised, and she giggled quietly, not wanting to draw attention to our secret conversation.

"And everything." I grinned down at her, brushing my arm against hers as we entered the Great Hall to let her know I had heard. We took our seats at the Gryffindor table, Lily, Elaine and I on one side, me in the middle, James, Sirius, Remus and Peter on the other. James was across from Lily (ha!), Remus across from me, Sirius across from Elaine, and Peter on the other side of him.

The entire school fell silent, almost immediately, as Professor Dumbledore stood, striding slowly towards the owl-shaped podium stand at the front of the High Table, or the teachers table.

"Welcome back, welcome, all of you." He greeted in that deep, echoing yet oddly wispy voice of his, that commanded respect almost as much as the man it belonged to. "This year, we are happy to announce a...competition, of sorts." Everyone in the Great hall glanced at each other, looking for answers, but I kept my eyes glued to the Headmaster, as did Elaine and Remus.

Remus and I were both only here because of him, we owed him, and Elaine knew of this all too well. The least we could do was show the proper respect.

"This year, we will be hosting a Wizarding Chess tournament, between the four houses." Some faces brightened, obviously those who played a lot of wizarding chess, and the Gryffindor's and Slytherin's glared each other down fiercely, both wanting to show the other house up.

"There is no limit to the amount of contestants, but once you are beaten, you must move down the leader-board. Whichever house has the most wins, without resorting to...harmful, tactics, at the end of the year, will win one hundred house points." The entire room brightened, and started to chatter.

That would certainly give the competition for House Cup a healthy boost. Anyone could win, if they were given an extra hundred points.

Of course, it seemed almost certain that Ravenclaw would be the ones to beat in this tournament of Wizards chess, seeing as they were the most equipped for the game of wit chess was. However, each house would have it's different tactics.

And no house was a whole, each student was different, no matter what house they were in. Every _person_ would have a different tactic, not just the different houses. Each round of this little tournament would be different, exciting.

This would certainly be an interesting rest of the year, what with the individuality of the houses, and the students within them.

* * *

(A/N): So, what did you think?

The Wizards chess tournament was my wonderful sister Candice's () idea.

I had no idea how to finish off the year, seeing as everything I planned happened in two months, and she suggested this while I was trying to go to sleep last night.

Please review and/or check out my other stories!

P.S: Is it just me, or did this chapter feel more mature?

P.S.S: This story had reached 90,000 words!


	70. Payback, Flight and Elaine

(A/N): Hey Guys! This is the 70th chapter! Yay! I realised in this chapter that uh...Elaine is a lot like me. #I am Elaine #Elaine is me. (Sorry for the hash-tagging, I was just making a point of it). It's not like she's based on me, it's just that the way she thinks is a lot like the way I think. You'd think this to be expected, but Leo doesn't think like me. Sirius sort of does. James doesn't, Lily doesn't. Remus doesn't. It's just Elaine!

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Leo, Elaine, Nicholai, Shari and Mia.

* * *

Elaine

Wizards chess tournament, huh?

They couldn't have picked something less...I don't know, Ravenclaw? It was pretty obvious Ravenclaw, or possibly even Slytherin were going to win, while Hufflepuff and Gryffindor came last. There's a reason our symbol is a _lion_ people, we don't think about our actions, we just want food.

You give us food, and we wouldn't care if we one. That is, if this wasn't eventually going to turn into a grudge match between Gryffindor and Slytherin. That's how everything ends up, even things that aren't supposed to be a competition!

We were going to be caught up, fighting amongst ourselves, while Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff shook their heads and took first and second place, leaving Gryffindor in dead last, because you know those slimy Slytherin's were going to pull some dirty trick that would ruin our chances of ever winning, both the tournament, and House cup.

Professor Dumbledore had moved from the podium, and back to his throne-like chair in the middle of the Head Table, Leo and Remus finally tearing their eyes away from him.

I knew that thought they owed him, but I know Dumbledore let them into the school of his own free will, not expecting to get some sort of huge favour for it. In fact, he would get fired if the Ministry found out that Leo and Remus were here, and what they were.

Remus and Leo were good people, the best, and if anything, Dumbledore owed them for making the school a better, more equal place. Because without them, this school would be full of pureblood's picking on the half-bloods picking on the muggleborns!

I mean, I was a pureblood, and I hated my own kind! What does that say about them? I'd rather be a muggle-born anyway, they're always much kinder, less judgemental, seeing as they themselves feel judged.

I didn't know much about wizard's chess, but I knew it was more violent than normal chess. Seriously though, who makes a normally quiet, calm, chess game, into a bloody destructive mess of chess?

I wonder which came first, chess, or wizards chess?

Probably normal chess, otherwise, how would muggles have gotten wind of wizard's chess, what with the International Statue Wizarding Secrecy?

Then again, the International Statue of Wizarding secrecy was only established in 1692, and how long has chess been around? Since, well, the early ages. Like, the sixth century?

As soon as Professor Dumbledore had returned to his seat, food filled the plates in front of us, and we all served ourselves the food we wanted, digging in.

"Flight lesson after dinner." Leo told me, only loud enough so that I could hear, and I groaned almost silently, but nodded. If it would get the others off my back...

"I hate them! Why should they dictate my life?" I growled, and I heard Leo chuckle lightly from beside me. The sun had gone down, and it was dark. The moon was new, so the only light was from the faint twinkling of the stars far above us. I could barely see, and kept tripping, make the short trip into the grounds seem like hell, though apparently, Leo could see perfectly fine.

"Woah!" I exclaimed, my foot hitting a rock I hadn't seen, and I felt myself falling forward, but Leo's arms came around my waist, and I didn't fall very far.

"Wow, when it's dark, you really live up to your nickname." He told me, more than a hint of amusement in his voice, and I growled.

"I'd punch you, but I don't know where you are." I admitted, and he chuckled again. I swung at him quickly, hitting him in the arm. I knew he could have dodged it, if he had wanted to, but he didn't.

"Ouch." He said, humouring me...kind of. "Come on, here's a good spot." He was right. I cautiously moved my foot around me in a wide circle, finding nothing but flat, grassy ground, and Leo's feet of course. I gingerly mounted the broom, in front of him again.

"I don't want to do this." I whimpered, and he hugged me from behind. "It's too dark." He rested his head against mine for a second before pulling away again.

"Don't worry, I'll be here the whole time. I won't let you fall." Even though I knew it had to be fake, Leo's confidence was oddly comforting. I mean, no one can be that confident, all of the time, right?

"Uhhhn...okay." I stuttered, still internally freaking out, and I knew this must be kind of hard on him. My fear levels were going through the roof, and he was right behind me. He could smell all of it, and I thanked god that I had put on deodorant this morning.

He wrapped his arm around my waist, the other arm stretching along my other side, the hand gripping the broom just behind my hands.

"You ready?" He asked, purely out of politeness, I knew he was going to make me learn to fly whether I liked it or not. I bit my lip and nodded, knowing he would see, or feel, it. And just like that, he kicked off gently, though slightly less so than last time, and we were in the air.

Funnily enough, I could see even less from up here. The only way I even knew we were flying was the absence of ground beneath my feet, and the strength of the wind blowing through my hair. I giggled lightly as I realised at least some of my hair must be in Leo's face.

"Don't laugh at me." He muttered into my ear, making me jolt. Even though I knew he was there, with the darkness surrounding us, I felt oddly alone. It was nice, peaceful, but also really creepy and disconcerting at the same time.

"Serves you right." I muttered back, and his right arm tightened slightly around my waist as he rested his chin on my shoulder again. I could tell, from the angle it was on, that he was watching, and I didn't bother holding back my blush, knowing he'd feel it anyone.

"Embarrassed?" I could practically see him wriggling his eyebrows, even though I couldn't actually see anything, and I rolled my eyes, and small smile on my lips.

"You wish!" I said, grinning for his reply to my playful banter. There was no reply, for he moved his chin from my shoulder, pressing his lips softly to my cheek. I gaped at the empty black canvas that was the night sky, stunned for a second.

"What was that for?" I asked, and he shrugged against my back.

"Payback, I guess." Ah, for the one I gave him at Christmas.

"Oh, okay." I focused back on the empty sky, trying to clear all the thoughts about Leo from my head. I knew it was cliché, but he was all I could think about. Pretty much every time he talked to me, he told me he was a monster, but in reality...

He was just a confused little boy.

* * *

(A/N): So, what did you think?

By the way, you know how I picked Alexander Ludwig as face claim for Leo? Well, Alexander Ludwig is young Leo, or like, birth - 18 years old Leo. From then on, adult Leo looks like Toby Hemingway. Look him up, he's a cutie, and not too different from Alexander Ludwig in appearance, so it's not a radical change.

Please review and/or check out my other stories!


	71. Let The Games Of Chess Begin

(A/N): Hey Guys! So, I wrote this entire chapter at school today. I would have uploaded it earlier, but I only just finished before the end of a lesson so I didn't have time, and I had to write the next one. I wrote this during Humanities, my first lesson, and Home Ec. my second to last lesson. In drama, between recess and lunch, we dressed up again, and I wore a kimono type thing, except this had shoulder pads. I also wore an asian type mask and a hat with pinecones on the side of it.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Leo, Elaine, Nicholai, Shari and Mia.

* * *

Elaine

"So, are you going to enter the chess tournament?" Lily asked the group as we sat, late the next night, in the middle of the almost empty Common room.

"Count me out." James told her, and her eyebrows lowered. We all knew she hadn't been asking him.

"Me too." I announced, crossing my arms over my chest, and Sirius raised his eyebrows a me.

"I would have thought you'd relish in the opportunity for competition, Laney." Sirius liked to nickname me things, but so far, his nicknames were better than 'Damsel'.

"Nah, too hot-headed for chess. When I was four, I threw a chess piece at an old man." The others stared at me as I looked to the ceiling as if reminiscing. "Good times." They stared at me some more.

"Uh, okay then." Leo said, breaking them all from their trance, like he had done earlier in the year.

"Are you going to enter?" Peter asked him, and Leo quickly shook his head.

"I hate chess, _hate_ it. Too much sitting still, and planning." He pretended to shudder, and Remus chuckled lightly, shaking his head in amusement.

"You would say that, Blue." Remus commented, and Leo turned to him.

"Are you going to enter then, Mister Logic?" I had a flash back of early last year, when Lily and Leo had their 'fight', and when I had called Remus exactly that after a particularly heated Transfiguration lesson. So, he had hear me?

"Maybe." All eyes turned to Remus. "I mean, I like Wizards chess. It's not as unpredictable as Exploding snap, and it's more fun than gob stones, so I figure, why the hell not?" I grinned at him. Since my episode in the room of Requirement, Remus and I had become closer as friends. We were no longer both the third wheel in our friendship with Leo, we were friends ourselves.

"Gryffindor will have at least one person competing then!" Sirius noted, and the rest of us nodded.

"I wouldn't think chess, even Wizards chess, would be Gryffindor's thing. Does anyone know someone who plays?" We glanced around our little group, waiting for one of us to answer.

"My cousin does, but he's only six." James offered, and we shook our head, all rather dismayed by the lack of volunteers.

"Maybe the older years will compete?" Remus suggested, and I bit my lip.

"Perhaps no one except for the Ravenclaw's will play. No use in having a competition if only one house competes, right?" We all looked doubtful. At this point, I felt like crossing my fingers, wishing that, for once, we wouldn't be beaten by Ravenclaw in a game of wits.

"But who knows, maybe people will get more into the spirit when the actual tournament starts." Leo said, trying to reassure us, to give us hope. It worked, but not as much as he had wanted.

"Hopefully." Lily muttered, and we stared at the ground glumly.

"Line up, in your houses, if you want to compete today." We waved Remus away lightly, and he joined the growing Gryffindor line. It wasn't the grim turnout we had expected, but it was nowhere near as plentiful as the Ravenclaw group's numbers.

However, we weren't dead last, either. In size, it went Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, Gryffindor, and lastly, Slytherin. Slytherin's competitors weren't much fewer than ours, but they still had less.

"Good luck." I whispered to after him, and Leo's hand slid around mine, squeezing lightly before loosening, but not letting go. I didn't look at him, not wanting to ruin the moment by making him embarrassed, or alerting Lily, who was in the row ahead of us.

We were in the Great Hall, and metal benches, like bleachers, were set up on the sides of the hall, one set for each House. The sets of bleachers had maybe fifteen rows, which were approximately five meters long.

Leo and I were in the third row back, in the rough centre, Lily in front of us with Sirius and Peter. Leo had dragged James up a level to swap with Lily when she had said she couldn't see, as he was taller than Lily by a few inches and wouldn't have a problem seeing over the people in front of him.

Today was the day the tournament started, and all those who wanted to compete, or wanted to cheer them on, were required in the Great Hall, just as we were. When we arrived, we noticed the twelve chess tables set up down the middle of the Great Hall, a Professor by each one of them.

The first three from each house were shuffled off to one side of one of the twelve tables, facing someone from another house. No two members of a house were facing a member of the same, yet other house. One Gryffindor was versing a Slytherin, one a Ravenclaw, and one a Hufflepuff. The other houses were facing just the same.

"When the tournament ends, we will tally the points not only to see which House prevailed, but also which member of each house won the most games." Professor Dumbledore announced, the crowd having gone silent as soon as he stood. "You may begin." He said nodding to the various competitors, who stared at the board before the player on the white side made their first move.

And thus, the Wizards Chess House Tournament began.

* * *

(A/N): So, what did you think?

This chapter was really awkward to write, it just didn't flow. Even with the ones I had trouble with previously, it still sounded alright at the end but this one...ugh.

Please review and/or check out my other stories!

P.S: I borrowed a book from the school library today, Strange Angels, and I just finished it. I was supposed to read it for English, because I read the last book already.


	72. Token and Thestrals

(A/N): Hey Guys! So, my sister's best friend is distraught because her boyfriends probably going to break up with her (they've been together for more than a year, I think), and my sister is sleeping over her house to help her out, so I have the room to myself. Which means...well, it doesn't really mean anything, but eh, figured you should know.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Leo, Elaine, Nicholai, Shari and Mia.

* * *

Leo

Fifteen minutes later, and there was only one game left running. The winners of the other games were given a small token, to show that they had competed and were through to the next round, and those who lost were mulling around, bandaging their wounded egos.

"Chess. It's brutal alright." I joked, and Elaine elbowed me in the side lightly. We watched the last game, which was, conveniently, Remus's game, against the Ravenclaw player.

He didn't seem to be losing, from what I could see, but he wasn't exactly beating the pants off this other guy either.

A few moves later, the Ravenclaw moved his last pawn, and Remus sat, staring for a second, before smirking ever so slightly.

"Checkmate." The Ravenclaw's eyes widened, and he stared down at the chessboard, where it was now clear that his King piece was in check, with no possible way to save it. Remus clasped his hands together in front of him as the Ravenclaw sighed deeply.

They both stood, and shook hands, something none of the others had done.

"Great game." The Ravenclaw boy congratulated, and Moony nodded as a sign of respect and politeness.

"_Brilliant_ game." Remmy agreed, and the boys parted, Professor McGonagall handing Remus his winning token.

"Well done Remus!" Lily exclaimed as he reached us, a goofy grin on his lips. Sirius rested an arm across his shoulders as a congratulatory gesture, and Peter clasped a hand on his shoulder.

James, however, went for a more theatrical route.

"Chess champion Moony, protector of the lowly pawns, ruler of the mighty knights, I congratulate thee." Lily rolled her eyes as he clapped three times slowly, before bowing and moving backwards slowly.

"Prat." Elaine muttered fondly, and it was my turn to nudge her with my shoulder.

"Job well done, Moons." I told him, and Elaine glared at me lightly before beaming at Remus.

"You beat the pants of that guy." Remus blushed slightly, obviously not used to the attention, and shrugged, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly.

"Well, I wouldn't say that. He just wasn't very observant." We stared at him curiously. "He had me in check three times, he could have beaten me if he had blocked my escape path." I saw the Ravenclaw boy he had been versing shake his head, burying his face in his hands. Ah, so he was listening.

"Wit beyond measure may be man's greatest treasure, but being observant may save your ass." Lily giggled quietly while Elaine raised an eyebrow at me.

"Well, well, look who's getting all philosophical?" I smiled down at her lightly before turning back to Moony.

"Perhaps Gryffindor will win this tournament yet." James wrinkled his nose at me.

"Why are you still speaking like that?" He asked, and I shrugged.

"Why, it's fun! Thou should giveth it a try!" The others stared at me for a minute before bursting into laughter. "No, but seriously, I didn't even know I was doing it." I shrugged, and Elaine rested a hand on my shoulder.

This was the first time I noticed the height difference. I mean, Elaine wasn't exactly short, but I was a few inches taller than her already, the top of her head only coming up to my nose.

"Well don't do it again, it's creepy." Lily told me, and I grinned at her.

"I'll do it at your birthday then." James looked like he was trying to smother more laughter, and Lily mock-glared at me.

"You better not! Remember Joannis, I know where you live." I shrugged, not taking her threat very seriously.

"Yeah, I know where you do too." James eyes brightened, and Lily crossed her arms over her chest.

"Say Leo-" James was cut off from whatever request he was about to make by Lily.

"No!" James stepped back, almost timidly, before shrugging.

"Just thought I'd ask."

* * *

After breakfast, I headed out into the grounds to train. See, even at school I had to train. Of course, with the added people, I had to train in the Forbidden forest.

Even for me, a half-breed, the Forbidden forest was creepy. I don't know, maybe it's the human in me talking, but people shouldn't go into dark places with giant man-eating spiders in them.

For me, training consisted of a few exercises, mostly fighting technique, and a few more spiritual type things. This time, however, as I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath to calm myself before starting to train, I heard the sound.

The sound of hoof beats, and wings, on the same animal. There weren't any flying horses around here, were there?

Curious, I headed towards the sound, listening closely for other sounds, sounds that meant something was coming my way.

The sound grew closer as I neared, and soon enough, through the gaps in the trees, I could see a clearing ahead.

As I emerged from the trees, stepping onto dirt instead of a thick layer of leaves from the trees, I heard them, but couldn't see them.

I knew where they were, by the sounds, but I couldn't see them.

An idea struck me, and I closed my eyes lightly, preying they were friendly, before letting the Sensory Alert take over.

As I opened my eyes again, I saw them. Well, I didn't _see_ them, but I saw their shapes, and the blood rushing through their circulatory systems, pumping through their hearts.

I was right, winged horses. However, if these things were normal winged horses, than I was full-human. While seeing their blood, I saw everything filled with blood, their muscles, everything, but I could also see the faint outline of them, and knew they were skeletal.

If anything, they looked to be how I imagined the Four Horseman of the Apocalypse's steeds to look.

Darkly coloured, shiny, bony and terrifying. One difference, however, was the feeling I got from them.

I think, if I stayed away from their young, they would mean me no harm.

Another thing, was the smell. I had smelt it before, a few times even. At the carriages! The ones that take the non-first years to the castle every year. These were the things that pulled the carriages?

One of the winged horses, a small one, perhaps an adolescent, walked towards me cautiously. I stayed still, and it approached even slower, getting ready to run if I attacked.

I raised a hand, very, _very_ slowly, showing it I meant no harm, stretching it out towards it.'

This way, it knew, with my arm at its full extent, I couldn't attack without taking a step forward.

Carefully, slowly, it neared me, and gently rubbed it's nose against my palm. I smiled at it kindly, petting it lightly.

"You know, you're actually very cute." I heard footsteps nearby, and I stayed where I was, knowing by the tone of the steps exactly who it was.

As they arrived at the clearing behind me, I turned off Sensory Alert, so they wouldn't get freaked out.

"Hey Hagrid." I said quietly, before turning around, trying not to freak out the winged horses I knew were all around us. Could he see them?

"Yeh can see the Thestrals then?" Hagrid asked, in that thick accent of his, comforting almost.

"A little, but not really." His eyebrows wrinkled and he stepped closer, and I held my breath as I smelt the meat he held.

"I just came to feed 'em. What're you doing out here?" He said 'out' like 'ow', I noticed, before gesturing around.

"I _was_ going to hunt." I lied, no point in having Hagrid know about my training, after all.

"Oh." Was his reply, and I could tell he was still having trouble digesting the fact that a twelve-year-old boy could probably kill him, _if_ I wanted to.

"Don't worry, I stay away from the Acromantula's...and the- the Thestrals." I faltered for a second, remembering what he had called them. "What are they, exactly?" He shrugged his huge shoulders, throwing the meat in the middle of the herd, and I resisted the animalistic urge to follow it.

"A relation of the Winged Horse, but most people see 'em as death omens because of the way they look. Thestrals are good creatures, deep down, just severely misunderstood." I nodded, turning back to look over the seemingly empty clearing.

"Just like a lot of us out here." I told him, referring to him, Remus and I, along with some of the other creatures who roamed the Forest.

"Aye. People see what they want to see, not what actually is."

* * *

(A/N): So, what did you think?

Sorry if I screwed up Hagrid's accent.

Please review and/or check out my other stories!


	73. Sense

(A/N): Hey Guys! So, another Sirius PoV, and it isn't angst-y until it gets to Elaine's PoV! It's a miracle! I wrote this chapter in under an hour.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Leo, Elaine, Nicholai, Shari and Mia.

* * *

Sirius

So, while Remus and Peter were with Lily, effectively distracting her even if they didn't know it, we dragged Elaine away.

Why, you ask? Because. Because, it's what we do.

"So, Elaine. How far along is your crush on Leo?" James asked, and she turned bright red, spluttering.

"Ah, so quite far then." I commented, and she shook her head frantically.

"I- I don't know- I don't know what you're talking about!" She exclaimed, but her cheeks were still cherry red, obviously she was lying, and very embarrassed.

"Relax, everyone wants you two together." James told her, and she glared at him.

"That's random, and creepy!" James and I glanced at each other over her head, nodding.

"That's almost exactly what Leo said when Remus told him that. See, you're perfect for each other!" I explained, rather cheerily. Now if only we could get them to see.

"We're _best friends_, of course we're perfect for each other!" She screamed, and I rubbed my ear lightly, my other arm wrapped tightly around her shoulders so she couldn't escape, James's around her waist.

"Ha! She admitted it!" I grinned, and James shook his head lightly in amusement.

"Point is Elaine, everyone knows you have a crush on him," Her face flushed brighter than I had ever seen any face flush before. "And they want you together. It's the one thing they can agree on, whatever house they may be in. Well, except for those girls fawning over him." James told her, biting his lip as if thinking about it, and the plan worked, she got pissed.

"What girls?!" Elaine growled, started to thrash, and I tightened my grip on her.

"A few girls may or may not fancy him." I admitted, and Elaine turned her head to glare at me, right in the eyes.

"But trust us," We said in unison, and Elaine glanced between us, waiting for our next line. "He only has eyes for you." She looked to the ground, a small smile growing on her lips, as if she couldn't stop herself.

"See! You're smiling! Obviously you like him, because you wouldn't be smiling at that otherwise." I announced, and she glared at me again, though weakly, as she blushed lightly.

"Of course I like him! How could I not?" She sighed quietly, and I glanced at James before we both hugged her close between us, surprising her, I think.

"Don't worry Laney, he likes you too." I whispered to her, and I could almost see her grinning.

"Yeah, he's completely _infatuated_." James told her, a goofy yet comforting grin on his face as well.

"The only problem, is getting him to admit it." She stared up at me, a little confused, but also understanding.

"How?" I shrugged, thinking it over for a second.

"Well, he doesn't exactly seem like the type to admit this easily, so...we may have to make a long-term plan." Elaine glanced between us as we both stared at her, waiting for an answer.

"You guys are crazy..." We sunk lightly. "But I'm in." We grinned at her before hugging her tightly from both sides, no longer trying to stop her from escaping.

"So, what's the first part of the plan?" She asked, and James and I froze, staring at each other, before turning to her and shrugging. "Perfect..." She muttered, glancing at the ceiling as if praying for the patience to deal with us, or this whole situation.

* * *

Elaine

Later, in the Room of Requirement, Remus and I sat facing each other at the table that held the five remaining books on the animagi transformation, talking.

"Can you believe that? They didn't even have a plan!" Remus shook his head lightly, looking both amused and annoyed.

"You guys shouldn't be trying this." I stared at him from across the table, confused. "I mean, when Leo and I were working with Professor McGonagall, he said something." I waited for him to continue. "He said...He said that he never wanted to have kids, because he didn't want them to have to go through the same things he did." I stared at him for a minute before rubbing my eyes with my hand.

"Well...that changes things slightly." I told him, and Remus nodded.

"Yeah-" He was cut off as the door to the Room of Requirement swung open, and Leo himself entered.

"Hey guys." He greeted, plonking himself down in the seat next to mine.

"Hey." I said quietly, and he stared at me for a second before turning away, probably hearing the tone in my voice.

"So, what were you doing before I so rudely barged in?" He asked, his grin wide, and he stared us down while making it sound good-natured. He knew we were hiding something.

"Nothing, just researching." Remus said, and Leo raised an eyebrow.

"I can tell if you're lying, you know." Remus and I stared at him. Oh, we were screwed then.

"How?" I asked, half-curious, half pissed off. Invasion of privacy much?

"If I told you that, you'd find a way to stop it, and I'd never know if you were lying." He teased, exactly what I had said after he had told me he was half-vampire.

"Oh ha ha, using my own words against me, very funny. So, how did you know, _really_?" He glanced down at the ground, shrugging lightly, avoiding our gazes.

"You don't want to know." He looked at us as we started to protest. "No, you _really_ don't." I glared at him, and his eyes widened slightly before he started avoiding my gaze again.

"Leo!" I snapped, trying to fill my voice with as much authority as I could.

"Alright, alright!" He relented, glancing at me before staring down at the table. "I can sense it, through your blood." We stared at him for a minute before attempting to shrug it off.

"That's not-" He cut us off with an intense stare.

"Yes, it is very creepy, don't try to tell me it's not. I can tell things about people, I shouldn't be able to." He inhaled deeply, rubbing his face as if suddenly very tired. "For instance, Peter had a severe heart condition as a baby, and that's why he twitches all the time. I can tell, because of the way the blood flows through his heart." We stared at him blankly.

"I never knew that." Remus whispered, probably feeling bad about the assumptions he had made about his friends.

"I can tell which people are related, within a few generations. For instance, I know that Elaine and James are third cousins by blood relation." Remus stared at me, and I shrugged. While I had known that, it wasn't exactly common knowledge, especially at Hogwarts.

"And, even with my eyes closed, I can see you perfectly, because I can sense you moving by the way your blood moves through you." He stared at us now, and I have to admit, I was more than slightly creeped out. It was, however, our duty and honour to reassure him, after all the times he had done so for us.

"Leo, even though that is...weirdly intrusive," I said lamely, trying to think of something to say other than 'severely creepy'. "You are one of the nicest guys I have ever met," I looked to Remus, and smiled slightly, letting him know he was also among them. "And you can't help this. You are what you are, there's no changing that, but it could be a lot worse." He looked up at me, and I saw the tears threatening to fill his eyes.

"How? How could I be anyone worse of a person?" He asked, almost desperately, and I rested a hand on his shoulder.

"You could be like my father." At this point, he wrapped his arms around my midriff, warmth spreading through my limbs as I returned the hug, my arms around his neck.

"He didn't deserve to have such a wonderful, loving daughter. He wasted everything he had, and he deserves to rot in hell, if it exists." I smiled into his neck lightly, tears threatening to take me over as he whispered thusly into my ear.

"We may not be able to change what's happened to us," Remus started, and we drew back from each slightly to look at him. "But we might be able to change what is to come." He told us, before wrapping his lanky arms around the both of us.

"Thanks." Leo whispered, to the both of us, and we smiled.

"Glad we could help." And we most definitely meant it.

* * *

(A/N): So, what did you think?

I have this head-canon, sort of, where the reason Peter Pettigrew twitches, or looks nervous all the time, is because of a heart defect he had as a baby. The doctors did something to stop him from dying, but his heart is still slightly different from everyone else, and Leo can tell that by the way the blood pumps through it.

Please review and/or check out my other stories!


	74. What Secrets Are You Hiding?

(A/N): Hey Guys! So, this chapter is really confusing, and badly put together, and repetitive, but I hope you enjoy it anyway.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Leo, Shari, Elaine, Mia and Nicholai.

* * *

Lily

After Elaine, Remus and Leo had disappeared, Sirius and Potter dragged me out of the Common room by my elbows.

"What the devil do you think you're doing?" I asked in a low growl, severely pissed off, struggling to try and get away. If these boys were involved, it probably wasn't good. Peter was with them, but walking behind us, trailing a few feet back.

"We have a plan, but we can't tell you here." Sirius told me, and Potter turned his head slightly to face me.

"It's a secret." He explained conspiratorially in a low whisper, glancing around to see if anyone was within earshot, which they _weren't_.

"Oh, that's great. Now will you let me _go_?!" I yelled, kicking him in the shin, hard enough to make him crumple slightly before continuing to walk.

"Sorry Evans, but we've got to keep this plan secret." I huffed, and was tempted to cross my arms, but the boys had one each.

"Where are you taking me, anyway?" I asked Sirius, who shrugged.

"Someplace secret." I rolled my eyes. Why did they have to be so damn stubborn about this?

"Just freaking tell me, or when I can reach my wand I'll blow up something valuable, on your person." I raised an eyebrow as I said the last part, making sure he understood my threat.

"One, gross. Two, _ow!_" Sirius replied, wincing slightly at the thought. "We're going to an empty corridor on the other side of the castle. It's far from the Room of Requirement, so none of them should be able to overhear us if they leave." I marvelled, for a second, at how smart they were to think ahead, before realising exactly who I was thinking such thoughts about.

"Yeah, well, a monkey could have figured that out." I muttered, too stubborn to admit that maybe, just maybe, this part of their plan had been solid. Potter looked like he wanted to say something, but shook his head instead, and stayed quiet.

"We're almost there." Sirius announced, his hand loose around my elbow, just as Potter's was, now that I wasn't struggling to escape.

As we turned the corner, I saw a large bay window, but nothing else other than empty corridor.

"You sit here." James told me, as Sirius let go of my arm, and guided me onto the bay seat.

"I can do it myself!" I snapped lightly, slapping his hand away futilely, and sat down lightly on the edge of the seat. I glanced around at them, Sirius leaning against a wall, Peter sitting cross-legged on the floor, and James standing to my right, silently wondering what this was about. "So?" Peter fidgeted lightly, getting comfortable.

"Well, we've decided, and Elaine agrees," I raised my eyebrows. Elaine was involved? So, why didn't they want her to overhear? "That we should come up with a plan to eventually get her and Leo to date." I stared at them, still curious as to what they were getting at.

"So? What's the plan?" I asked impatiently, my gaze flicking between them as I waited for an answer.

"We want your help." James uttered, as if it were rather obvious, and I raised an eyebrow at him, slightly surprised.

"Why?" Sirius rolled his eyes, rubbing the back of his neck as if exasperated.

"You're his _best friend_, that's why!" I glanced at my hands, curled together in my lap, before looking back up.

"Of course I'll help." I told them, and they started to grin. "Besides, it won't be too hard, their pretty damn perfect for each other." The other nodded in agreement before Peter's eyebrows crumpled.

"But Remus said that Leo didn't admit to liking Elaine, what if he doesn't?" So Remus was in on this too? Who the hell else knows?

"Pete, it's pretty damn obvious he likes her." James told him bluntly, and I smiled slightly before wiping it off my face completely. He was so annoying, yet sometimes, he could be charming. Of course, that just made him more aggravating to me.

"And that she likes him." I added, and Sirius glanced between the two of us before shaking his head lightly.

"Besides, Leo isn't exactly the type of person to just outright admit to liking someone." Sirius intoned, and Peter nodded, understanding.

"There must be a reason he's so secretive. Do you know anything about what he did before Hogwarts?" Peter asked me, and I shrugged, thinking back.

"Not really. Only the stuff you guys know. As you said, Leo's not exactly the type to over share." I thought harder. "When we were wand shopping, Ollivander said something about Leo being heir, and that weird middle names run in his family." I told them with a shrug, and Sirius's eyes widened.

"My mother!" We stared at him, puzzled by his seemingly random outburst. "She recognised the Joannis name, seeing as it's pureblood, but when we got home, she said that the only heir of the line was a girl." I raised an eyebrow, wondering how this could help.

"Well, that would be Leo's sister Mia, wouldn't it? And technically, he's not part of the Joannis line, seeing as his parents never married?" Sirius held a finger up.

"Yes, but even if Leo was only the stepson of a Joannis, but the birth child of their spouse, he'd still be entitled. If he's not entitled then...he must have been disowned." The impact of this dawned on us, and we stared at each other eyes wide.

"But...why? Why would they disown him? I mean, we knew they kicked him out, but why?" I asked, curious and infuriated at the same time.

"He said it was because he wouldn't behave." James reminded us, but by now we were almost sure this was a lie.

"What else isn't he telling us?" Sirius asked, and we speculated it for a minute.

"If his mother disowned him, why bother making it impossible to take the family ring off?" Another thing to ponder.

"Remus and Elaine know though." Sirius stated, and I winced lightly, hurt a little bit that they knew and I, Leo's supposed best friend, didn't. "Why would he tell them over Lily?" James lifted his head.

"Because maybe it's something they all have similarly in common." We stared at him, curious as to what he was getting at. "I mean, Remus is a werewolf, Leo was disowned and thrown out a young age, along with a whole host of other things he won't tell us about. So, what happened to Elaine in the past that made them trust her enough to tell her?"

* * *

(A/N): So, what did you think?

Please review and/or check out my other stories!


	75. Scars and Scares

(A/N): Hey Guys! So, this chapter wanted to end itself at 800 words, but I forced out another four hundred for you guys, okay? Besides, I want to hit 100k soon, and I'm only at 96,600 something.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Leo, Elaine, Shari, Nicholai and Mia.

* * *

Elaine

Later that night, when Remus and Leo had decided to turn in for the night, I stayed behind for maybe five minutes after, looking up one last thing before exiting the Room of Requirement, closing my eyes to will the door to disappear. As I did so, I heard rapid footsteps approaching, very close, and my eyes snapped open quickly before strong arms wrapped their way around my waist, ensnaring me in their grip.

I thrusted my elbow back into their stomach, and heard a familiar grunt of pain as I did so, and I smirked, knowing who it was. Their arms released me, and I spun, stomping on their foot before shoving him with my shoulder, knocking him to the ground. I stared down at him as I blew a lock of hair out of my face.

"And that, Sirius, is why you don't sneak up on me." He groaned lightly while Lily, James and Peter emerged from around the corner, Lily giggling quietly as she saw Sirius lying flat on his back in the middle of the corridor.

"Note to self," Sirius muttered to himself, and I waited for what he had to say. "Don't mess with Gryffindor girls." I grinned, though it was more of a smug smirk.

"So, what do you want?" I asked, knowing that they wouldn't be out here this late unless they wanted something.

"We know Leo's mother disowned him." Lily stated, and I raised an eyebrow. Well, I'm glad they did, seeing as I just thought they kicked him out.

"And?" They stared at me somewhat blankly. "What about it?" I elaborated with a sigh.

"Well...We wanted to know why he told Remus, and you, but not me." Lily replied, and I fought the urge to roll my eyes. Merlin, they really could be blind at times. Leo uses vampire-speed in front of them, they don't see it, he tells them what he is (well, he told James anyways), and they laugh it off... Thing is though, I'm not as good a liar as Leo is.

"We figured it was because Remus was a werewolf, so he had a secret of his own, but we're kind of wondering why he told you." James explained, and I winced. James and I may be third cousins by blood, but that was on my mother's side, not my fathers. He probably hadn't heard about it...or was too young to remember.

"What business is it of yours?" I asked, my tone showing just how extremely agitated I was, and Sirius raised his hands in surrender.

"We were just asking, Laney. You don't have to tell us if you don't want to." Lily sent him a look that said otherwise, and I shook my head, still glaring at them.

"Good, because the only person who knows why is Leo. And that was _after_ he told me." They raised their eyebrows, obviously very surprised, and Lily even looked put out.

"So...Remus doesn't know?" James asked, curiously, not pushing, and I nodded grimly.

"Only Leo?" Sirius asked, and I nodded again. "Well, if that doesn't lend evidence to the fact you are both totally crushing on each other, I don't know what does." I glared at him, shaking my head.

"I didn't tell Leo, he found out. Just like Leo didn't tell Remus, and Remus didn't tell Leo, they figured it out for themselves." Peter lowered his eyebrows, as if trying to work something out.

"So...Remus didn't tell Leo that he was a werewolf?" I shook my head, and they glanced between each other. "And Leo didn't tell Remus that his mother disowned him..." He glanced at the others. "Along with other things?" I nodded, and they stared at me like I held the answer to a particularly difficult equation.

"So how did he find out?" James asked, and I quickly thought of a lie.

"Don't know. Leo's a smart guy though, and it was pretty obvious." Lily's eyebrows creased as if she took personal offence to this statement.

"And Leo didn't tell Remus about his disownment?" Sirius asked, the others watching me eagerly.

"No, but that was also rather obvious." Lily huffed, and I almost grinned. Most of the time, we liked each other, but sometimes, I just liked to piss her off. "Along with other things. If you paid close enough attention, you would have noticed them too." I turned my head slightly to stare at James dead in the eyes.

"A _long_ time ago." The others glanced between, wondering what I was referring to, but James also seemed confused, just as I had expected him to be.

"What does that mean?" He asked, frustrated, and I merely shrugged.

"You'll have to work it out for yourselves." I told them, making my way past them, towards the direction of the Gryffindor Common room.

"Elaine?" Sirius called after me, and I glanced over my shoulder at him.

"What?" I asked tiredly, just wanting to go to sleep.

"Where'd you get that scar on your shoulder?" I froze, staring at him for a few seconds, before my eyes darted to the floor, staring at nothing.

"Wouldn't you like to know." Whispered, deadly low, before taking off at a sprint for the Common room, where I knew Leo would still be up, waiting for me to return in case I had run into any trouble. Which I had.

"Peach Cobbler." I choked out, almost sobbing now, tears threatening to fall. The Portrait hole swung open, the Fat Lady trying to comfort me as it did so.

"Oh dear..." She murmured after me, as I raced through the now open portrait hole, and found myself engulfed in Leo's arms instantly.

It was late at night, so the Common room was almost empty, and the few remaining stragglers rushed up the stairs to their cosy beds as soon as they saw I was crying.

"Shh, shh, it's going to be okay." Leo whispered into my ears as my face buried into his shirt, and I felt slightly guilty for ruining it with my snotty nose and salty tears.

"Will it?" I asked quietly, and even to me I sounded desperate. Leo's arms wound around me tighter, pulling me closer.

"Of course. Remember Elaine, I won't let you fall."

And I knew he didn't just mean during flight practice.

"What happened?" He murmured questioningly into my hair a few minutes later, after my tears had stopped falling.

"Sirius asked about...about my..._scar_." With the emphasis, and the tone I put with it, he knew exactly which scar I was talking about.

"Oh." He commented dully, and I resisted the urge to slap him on the arm. "I'm surprised he noticed it." I shrugged my shoulders before pulling out of his warm embrace, moving to sit on the plush red sofa next to him, though my hand somehow ended up intertwined with his.

"Yeah, so was I." I told him breathily, and he stared at me for a minute before tilting my head up, his fingers under my chin, and kissed me lightly on the cheek.

"Everything's going to be okay." He murmured again, his arms wrapped around my shoulders, though this time I wasn't sure it was only for my benefit.

* * *

(A/N): So, what did you think?

Please review and/or check out my other stories!


	76. Or Two

(A/N): Hey Guys! 100,000 words! Booyah!

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Leo, Elaine, Shari, Nicholai and Mia.

* * *

Sirius

I felt rather bad after Elaine had ran off, telling she was on the edge of tears, and I wanted to make it up to her, but by the time we made our way back to the Gryffindor common room, having discussed the past conversation thoroughly, she had already gone to bed for the night.

Perhaps she had as soon as she reached the Common room, or perhaps it had been recent, we didn't know, but the next morning, this morning, I set out to apologise to her.

I searched the school, high and low, from the Great Hall to the Grounds, the classrooms to the Dormitories (I had to ask Lily for that one), before finally arriving at the Room of Requirement, where I had a sneaking suspicion she'd be, even before I tried everywhere else in the castle.

You may call it stalling, but I called it preparing myself. I mean, I had hurt her, probably pissed her off more than a little as well, and Elaine wasn't exactly the type to let this sort of thing go without some payback, or at least a little yelling.

I took a deep, supposed to be soothing, breath as I stood outside the Room of Requirement, raising my anxiously clenched fist, steeling the courage to knock.

"Come in." Her voice came through the door, and I jumped slightly. How had she known I was there? Shaking it off, I pushed the door inwards as slowly as possible, and shuffled through, letting it fall closed behind me as I watched her.

She sat at the table in the middle of the small-ish room, a few bookcases edging the room, a fireplace warming the room from the corner, and there was only one spare chair left.

It was strange, seeing as usually only Leo, Remus and her came in her, yet there were only two chairs here on this occasion...like she had known I was coming.

"What did you want?" She asked quietly, her tone not full of anger or hurt, like I had expected it, but rather inquisitive curiosity.

"I came to apologise." I stated quietly, and I saw her eyebrow twitch skyward slightly.

"Really?" She asked, her tone stiff, and it had claimed an almost smug edge to it.

"Really." I repeated her, staring her down before taking the remaining seat.

"Well then, you better get on with it." She still didn't sound angry.

"It wasn't right for me to pry, Laney. Your business is exactly that, _yours_. I shouldn't have said anything about it, especially in front of the others. I'm sorry, I really, truly am." She sat perfectly still, her eyes still trained on the book, but her eyes fixed on one point so I knew she wasn't reading.

"That's perfectly alright." She told me, repositioning her book, her tone and phrasing still stiff. She hadn't forgiven me.

"Elaine..." She didn't look up. "I'm sorry." I said again, before quickly reaching out and pulling her smaller form to mine, her book crushed between us. "I really am." I whispered, and slowly but surely, her arms returned the tight cocooning hug mine gave her.

"You didn't need to apologise, you know." She paused for a second, as if thinking her next words over. "It was simple curiosity, and I know you guys hate the fact we're being so secretive." I nodded into her shoulder, letting her know that I heard, and was paying attention. "But our secrets are, as you said, just that. _Ours_." I sucked in a quiet breath, worried she was going to suddenly transform into this furious creature that was going to rip my lungs from my chest and wear them as a hat, simply because I had offended it.

"I _suggest _you stop looking into our private business, Sirius, and be sure to tell the others." Her tone showed that she wasn't really suggesting we stop, it was more of a do or die situation, and her threat was clear.

'_Stay away from our secrets, and you get to keep your friends. If not...we will be most displeased_.'

And if there's one group of people you really don't want to mess with, it's not punks, it's not bikers or Goths, it's Leo, Remus and Elaine.

Trust me, I had to learn that the hard way. And by the hard way, I mean Elaine elbowed me in the stomach, stomped on my foot, and shoved me on my arse.

Another person not to mess with was Lily, but I guess you already knew that, what with the breaking of James's nose at the start of our first year.

Elaine had quite the temper on her, and the only one who could calm her down was Leo, and likewise with him. You somehow managed to aggravate him, and you better hope Elaine's close by, or you just might lose a limb...or two.

"I'll be sure to pass that along."

* * *

(A/N): So, what did you think?

Elaine has a rather bad temper at times, but most of the time she's nice, and kind. I know she seems really weak at times, but that's because she's twelve and I'm not portraying her right.

Please review and/or check out my other stories!


	77. Princesses and Devils

(A/N): Hey Guys! So, this is chapter seventy-seven! I never thought I'd write a story this long! I mean, I planned stories, but I was like, oh yeah, it won't take that long, there will only be like, thirty chapters in the entire story...This story is more than thirty chapters per year! This is the longest story I've ever written by 40 or 50,000 words!

Next Chapter: Angst Alert!

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Leo, Elaine, Nicholai, Shari and Mia.

* * *

Remus

Today was the second day of trials for the Wizards Chess tournament. Since I had passed the first day, I didn't need to play today, but it was kind of fun sitting in the Great Hall, watching the hopeful competitors battle each other using wit, and skill. On each of the three days of trials, three sets of twelve students would verse each other.

Those who wished to compete, came up on the first day and were numbered, one hundred and eight competitors in total, including me.

Each day then, only eighteen would continue, having won their first game against an opponent also trying to make it through.

If they won, they got a token, if they lost, they got to make snarky comments while booing the winners. Oh wait no, that's just the Slytherin's. Everyone else were actually behaving, cheering on friends, or even those they competed against, towards the glory awaiting the winner at the end of the tournament.

One of the competitors today, I recognised as a girl in the year above us with wavy black hair tied back in a loose bun, her pale green eyes studying the chess board in front of her with great concentration.

"Who's that?" Elaine asked, seeing me watching her, and I shrugged lightly before Leo, who had been standing behind us, answered quietly.

"Brooke Sarne, she's in the year above us. She lives with her dad, and her mother died when she was nine-years-old." We paused for a second before turning around to look at him slowly.

"You know this how?" I asked, and he shrugged, a small, somewhat smug, smile on his lips.

"She sat with me on the train at the start of Christmas Break." We stared at him again.

"And she told you all that? The first time you met her?" He shook his head, looking at us now instead of her.

"No, I met her last year, when we were trying to avoid the others, and I flew Dams out of her dorm room." I glanced at Elaine, who shrugged.

"I didn't meet her." He shook his head lightly, biting his lip as if amused.

"No, before I went to your window. I didn't know which one was the first year girls dorm, so I just knocked on a window." I sighed, thinking about just how wrong that could have gone.

"Oh, I don't know, I'd say the first year girls' dorm would be the _first one_!" Elaine growled at him, and he shrugged again, unfazed by her anger.

"Well, I'm sorry, it was five in the morning, I wasn't exactly thinking properly." He retorted, and I rolled my eyes.

"Hence the broom trick." I muttered, and his lips quirked up.

"Hence the broom trick." He agreed, and I remembered something I had heard a while back.

"Isn't she one of the girls who fancies you?" Elaine's eyes widened, and Leo shrugged, making a face as if both annoyed and disinterested.

"Go screw yourself Moony." Was the usual response, before he actually answered. "She said I was cute, _once_." Elaine's eyebrows lowered, and I could see her glaring at Brooke from across the Great Hall.

"I don't like her." Well that's not very surprising.

"Why not?" Leo asked curiously, puzzled, and Elaine's eyes widened slightly as she realised that she had said that out loud.

"Ah...she's...mean?" Leo stared at her for a minute before shaking his head.

"Okay, whatever then." He said, letting the matter drop, and Elaine breathed a quiet sigh of relief, even though she knew Leo would be able to hear it.

"Hey guys." Lily greeted as she approached, and we all waved, muttering a few hello's in return.

"Morning Lils." Leo scooted over, allowing her a place to sit.

"So, what's the score?" There wasn't really a _score_ per say, but we knew what she meant.

"Ravenclaw beat Hufflepuff," She scoffed here.

"Not really a surprise." I cleared my throat, warning her against interrupting again.

"Slytherin beat Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff beat Gryffindor, and Gryffindor is currently beating Slytherin." With the last one, I pointed to Brooke, the focal point of our earlier conversation, who was beating the Slytherin girl she was versing into the ground.

"Well at least we're beating someone." Lily muttered, and Leo scooted over more as James, Sirius and Peter arrived.

"Anything exciting?" We shrugged.

"Just chess-" Sirius cut me off, leaning back on the bench, hands behind his head.

"Oh, so nothing then?" I frowned at him, before turning back to observing the matches.

"You know Black, if you put your mind to use you might actually do something worthwhile?" Lily snapped, but Sirius just smiled at her, care-free.

"Yeah, but what would be the fun in that?" As Lily growled, ready to start in on him again, Leo rested a hand on her shoulder, pulling her back.

"Relax Princess, stress is slowly killing you." We all raised an eyebrow at him, almost in unison.

"Princess?" Lily mouthed to Elaine, who shrugged.

"Better than Damsel." Elaine mouthed back, and Lily nodded in agreement.

"So, Leo, is that my official nickname or what?" Lily asked, and Leo grinned, his eyes still fixed ont he games across the hall.

"I figured you'd need one eventually, so...Princess it is." James eyebrows crinkled.

"Yeah, but why Princess?" Lily looked like she wanted to ask that well, but was too stubborn to side with James.

"Well, because she looks like royalty." He and Lily shared a smile.

"Flattery. How lovely." Sirius murmured from his relaxed position, and Lily glared at him. Sirius, of course, had no clue to the danger about to befall him, for he had his eyes closed stupidly. Lily quickly grabbed one of his feet, lifted it and pushed it backwards towards him, causing him to fall into the gap between the two bleachers, yelping in surprise.

"Lily!" He scolded, and Lily pouted, putting on an innocent expression.

"It wasn't me." She told him sweetly, and he glared at her before returning to his old position, eyes _open_ this time around.

"We should call her devil instead."

* * *

(A/N): So, what did you think?

I imagine all these characters as being both hot-headed, and a little shy at times, but Remus is their calming balance really, until you get him pissed. Like Leo, he isn't afraid to hurt someone if it meant keeping someone he loved safe, but he also doesn't like, or start, fights.

Please review and/or check out my other stories!


	78. Monster

(A/N): Hey Guys! WOAH, ANGST.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Elaine, Nicholai, Shari, Mia and a very angst-y Leo.

* * *

Leo

After watching Brooke win over the thick-headed Slytherin girl, the rest of the games had ended for the day, and the house tables appeared in their positions once more.

"Only one more day of trials before the real tournament begins, Moony." Elaine reminded Remus, who simply shrugged.

"Plus the Free day after that." I added, and Remus nodded.

"One day without any chess, Sirius must be crying from relief." We had found out, over the previous days, that Sirius hated chess almost as much as I did.

"Yeah, that or wetting himself." Elaine and I raised an eyebrow at Remus after he said this.

"How so?" I asked, and he seemed a little surprised.

"Did I say that out loud?" Elaine rolled her eyes and I shook my head.

"Only you Moony." I muttered, turning back to the last of the five book on animagi I had left to read, almost finished with it.

"What do we do after we finish these books anyway?" Elaine asked, and we both glanced at her. "Do we just jump in a start trying to transform, or what?" Remus and I looked to each other before back to her and shrugging.

"Didn't think that far ahead, did we?" I asked rhetorically, and Remus nodded.

"We figured it would just come to us." Elaine rolled her eyes in frustration.

"Sometimes, I swear, you two are just like those Marauder boys." Remus grinned at her, his usually wise looked transformed into a goofy expression of happiness.

"I _am_ one of those Marauder boys, Elaine." She stared at him for a second, as if she wanted tot say something before shrugging to herself.

"You should have some sort of trademark thing." I suggested, and he raised an eyebrow at me.

"Like what, a talking map?" I considered it for a second.

"Not a talking one, it could give away your position." The other two stared at me like I was crazy.

"I'll be sure to put that out there the next time I talk to them." I smirked at him, closing my book as I heard footsteps approaching.

"You better think of a better sales pitch than that, they're almost here." Their eyes widened, and they snapped their books shut, shoving them in their school bags before we sat there, trying to look innocent.

"Hey guys, miss me?!" Sirius yelled as he pushed the door open, arms outstretched as if to welcome applause, the others trailing behind him, shaking their heads.

"Yeah Sirius, it's been a real chore." Elaine muttered, her tone dry.

"So, what have you guys been up to?" James asked, sidling up next to us, one hand on my shoulder, the other on Elaine's.

"Just because your related to me James, don't think I'll even _hesitate_ to take your ass down." Elaine threatened, and James removed his hand _rather quickly_.

"How about you Leo? What have you been up to?" He asked, moving closer to me slightly, but I just stared up at him, my face blank and humourless.

"Remmy?" James pleaded with his friend, almost desperately, and I resisted the smile I felt coming on.

"Sorry James, but you know every secret I'm willing to tell you." James pouted, and slunk down.

"One secret. Why do you guys have to be so secretive?" Lily asked, hands on her hips as she stared at us from by the door. "Wouldn't it be easier to just tell us?" I narrowed my eyes at her slightly, almost beyond my control. She was my best friend, but why did she have to be so goddamn pushy?

"Sorry Lils, but some secrets we're not comfortable telling anyone but each other." She glared at me now, and I could tell, by the smell of her that she was infuriated.

"Why?" I stared at her, and she thought I didn't understand, so she repeated it. "Why can't you-?" I cut her off, standing up quickly, my chair almost falling over as I did so.

"Because I don't want to lose you as a friend Lily!" I exclaimed, and she stared at me again, her eyes wider than usual, out of surprise.

"Leo-" I cut her off, sitting back down quickly, pretending to read from the remaining book on the table, my Transfiguration book.

"Just go." It may sound cold, but at that moment, I really couldn't stand being around people. She stared at me for a few seconds before dragging the others from the room, leaving Remus and Elaine behind.

"Leo-" Remus began, but I cut him off, too.

"You both too." They stared at me, shocked, before nodding solemnly and leaving. Elaine paused at the door, and I lowered my head to the table top.

"Just go." I whispered again, and I heard her leave, closing the door behind her, and the conversation through it.

They thought it was private, that I couldn't hear them, but I heard everything. _Everything._

And I hated every last _second_ of it.

Since my Sensory Alert developed, my senses heightened even further than they had been before, and I could hear, smell, see, _taste _and_ feel _everything.

I could hear a girl the floor below sobbing in the bathrooms, I could smell the blood from the boy who had cut his finger on a knife in the floor above. I could see every last splinter of wood beneath my face, I could taste a fifth year girls perfume on my lips, and I could _feel_ the others walking away from the Room of Requirement without me.

I was alone, because I _had_ to be.

If not, I could hurt them. Or worse, _kill_ them.

That's all the animalistic part, the vampire part, of me wanted. To kill them, to drink their blood, to feed on them until I felt the beat of their heart slow beneath my ravenous hunger, my sharpened fangs slicing through skin and muscle to get to the blood I so sorely desired, and sometimes...that was just too much for me to handle.

Elaine and Remus may know what I am, but they don't know what it's like. They don't know how _strong_ I am, or what my _desires_ are, they don't know that I really _am_ a monster.

They wave it off every time I say it, and I pretend to listen, to make them feel better, but I have to hold my breath every time I'm close to them. Close to _anyone_, or I could _kill_ them.

Not a temporary injury, _death_. Death or becoming like me, which I was almost certain was worse in comparison than dying.

At least when you die, the pain is over, you don't have to care about family, or friends, you're just dead. If you become a vampire, a full-vampire, then you don't age, you can't sleep, and the next time you encounter the people you love, you're probably going to use them to satiate your _thirst_.

So _congratulations_, me, you doing well for not having _killed_ anyone.

_Yet._

* * *

(A/N): Angst, Angst, Angst!

So, what did you think?

Please review and or check out my other stories!

This chapter took me ages to write. Like, so long.

The next chapter is also very angst-y.


	79. Don't Ask, Don't Tell

(A/N): Hey Guys! This chapter was so annoying and confusing to write. I had to stop 400 words in because I was getting a headache, I was that confused and pissed at it. Then I continued, and Angst ensued. But then, isn't the whole thing of this story the angst? I should probably change the catergories...

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Leo, Elaine, Shari, Nicholai, Mia and Brooke.

Warning: Angst and confusion.

* * *

Leo

Three days later, and the Wizards Chess Tournament was starting for real. No one mentioned my outburst in the Room of Requirement, and the others hadn't started needling us about our secrets yet, in fear of sending me off again.

I hated it.

It made me feel weak, and I hated feeling weak.

Being weak, cowards and traitors were the things I hate most in this world, and I hated being one of those things myself.

I was strong, both physically and emotionally, so I hated being treated like I was a fragile child. Like I couldn't do anything, like no one could touch me or I'd shatter like a porcelain doll.

I didn't speak much around them, and only replied with one word answers when they tried to start up a conversation with me. I could tell they were worried, and that only made me feel worse.

They were worried about me, when I was supposed to be protecting them. I was supposed to be the one worrying about them, not the other way around!

Remus was currently versing one of the remaining fifty-four competitors, another twenty-two using the remaining table. If he won today, he would go into tomorrow's remaining twenty-six.

It would have been twenty-seven, but someone had forfeited earlier, without even competing!

If he won his game tomorrow, then he would be part of the remaining thirteen. Since there would be an odd amount (unless someone else dropped out), a dummy competitor would be put in, someone who had played before, but lost, and would not be allowed to continue themselves if they beat the other player. If they beat the other player, that competitor would be out.

If the player won, then it would be another uneven round, and another dummy would be put in. If the dummy won, then it would be an even round, with only six people competing.

Four people would compete against an opponent, then the winners of those two matches would verse each other, then whoever won that match would verse the winner of the match between the two remaining competitors.

These two competitors, who only had to go through one match, would have drawn the two specific slips of paper allowing this. Six pieces of paper in a hat, one for each player, two of them saying '_exempt'_ which meant they wouldn't be playing both games, only the first game, which decided who would verse the winner of the other two, and the winner deciding match.

Confused? Yeah, so is everyone else.

No one really knew what was going on, to be honest, but we were just cheering for those we wanted to win, booing those we didn't, and the competitors were just trying to play, hoping the teachers would work it all out.

"So, who do you think is going to win?" I heard Lily ask Elaine from the row in front of me, who I watched shrug.

"I don't know, it's too early. Moony's in with a pretty good chance though, I mean, he did beat that first guy." I turned my attention to the game he was currently playing from over their shoulders.

"I'm going back to the Common room." I told them, and they didn't argue, though I could smell the worry on them.

Since everyone else was in the Great Hall, I took the risk of using vampire speed to reach the Common room.

As soon as I arrived outside the portrait of the Fat Lady, startling her, I stopped.

"Saints of Fancy." I muttered the password, and she let the portrait hole open, still gasping from the shock of my sudden appearance.

"You shouldn't sneak up on people!" She yelled at me, and I smiled slightly before it dropped again.

I headed for the stairs to the boys dorms, and entered ours, moving directly for my chest of drawers. I pulled out the spare parchment and quill that were there, before closing the drawer and leaning over the table to write my letter.

_Shari,_

_Don't tell my father, but I think problems are starting to arise. _

_With the Sensory Alert thing, my senses are constantly higher than they were, and I'm having a little trouble being around people. Not that bad, but enough that sometimes I need space from the humans._

_They don't understand._

_Why must they be so dependent? _

_All humans are the same, their strength is their weakness. Strength in numbers, but without everyone else, they are merely one person._

_I hate feeling weak like this, but I also hate the strength I have developed. _

_I don't want to trouble you, but I have to say this: How do you deal with it?_

_My father, he avoids the humans, has all the time I've known him, but you...you don't seem all that bothered by it._

_Why?_

_How?_

_Please,_

_Leo_

I walked all the way out to the Owlery to find a school owl to send the letter, enjoying the solitary peace of the walk now that no one was around.

I raised my head to the sky, sniffing the air.

No humans outside... but I could smell a few non-sentient animals in the forest.

I felt that familiar warm clenching in my chest, and the tickling in the back of my throat that told me it was time to quench my thirst, and this time, I listened to it.

After satiating myself, I wiped my mouth on my sleeve, pleased to find no blood on the material. I was getting better at hunting, neater.

Suddenly, the grief, and anger, that I had been holding back the past few days, weeks, months and yes, even _years_, welled up and I took off at the highest speed I could make, tears streaming down my cheeks as I ran.

The wind whipped through my hair, caressing my skin with its cool fingers, my feet hitting the ground for a split second before I launched off again, dodging between the trees.

It wasn't hard, avoiding the trees, because vampire speed didn't feel like me speeding up, it felt like the world slowing down. Like everything was in slow motion, the leaves waving as the wind blew through the trees, only barely recognised as actually moving as I raced through them, avoiding every animal I came across until I reached the edge of the ground.

I wasn't tiring. Crossing from the Owlery, through the Forbidden forest to the edge of the grounds, had only taken me five seconds, tops, and I was still wired, the energy of anger burning through my veins all that was fuelling me.

I took off again, to the opposite side of the grounds, and then all the way around the perimeter.

I did countless laps of the grounds, until it was well beyond dark, before collapsing in the clearing I had found the Thestrals. They were still around, I could smell them, but they had moved from the clearing. Probably for the best, seeing as I wasn't exactly in the best control at the moment.

I thought about everyone I knew, and how I had made them pity me, worry about me, to _care_, and I thought about how I didn't deserve them.

One false move, and I would kill them.

I wouldn't hesitate, because that's the way we are. We take what we want at that precise moment, not worrying about the repercussions or the consequences, just listening to our desires and animal urges.

I would kill them, and then I would hate myself.

* * *

(A/N): So, what did you think?

Did you understand any of the chess stuff, because I didn't. I even made a freaking diagram, and I still don't get it.

Please review and/or check out my other stories!


	80. Circumstance

(A/N): Hey Guys! Eightieth chapter, yay! I hope you like it, it's less angst-y.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Leo, Elaine, Shari, Nicholai, Mia and Brooke.

* * *

Elaine

We were worried about Leo.

We all were, but Lily, Remus and I more so, seeing as we were closer to him than the others. Remus and I were especially worried, knowing exactly what Leo was like, and how down he had been on himself lately.

"I've never known Leo to be so...cold." Lily murmured, and the others nodded in agreement while Remus and I stared at them.

"What do you mean?" Remus asked, and Lily glanced over at him from her position on the single plush chair by the fire.

"Well...he yelled, and the tone of voice he used when he said..." She swallowed delicately, obviously thinking back, not being able to say it, but we understood.

"He's done it before." I told her off-handedly, and they lifted their heads to look at us.

"He has?" Remus and I nodded.

"He goes off on a tangent of self-loathing about every two days." I explained, raising an eyebrow when they still stared. "He doesn't do that around you?" Okay, now I was confused.

"No. I mean, he's secretive but he doesn't...he doesn't hate himself...does he?" Lily asked quietly, timidly, unsure of herself now that I had mentioned it.

"Well..." Remus and I trailed off, glancing at each other.

"He kind of points out imaginary faults, and tries to tell us that he doesn't deserve to have us as friends." Remus explained, and I nodded.

"Yeah, that pretty much sums it up." Except for the part where he called himself a _monster_, that is.

"Imaginary faults?" James asked quietly, and Sirius' eyebrows lowered as if confused.

"Like he's trying to get attention?" Remus and I shook our heads quickly, and furiously.

"No!" We cried, and the others in the Gryffindor common room stared at us for a second before returning to whatever they had been doing previously.

"More like he really does think he has these...faults," I glanced at Remus, unsure if they were really faults, to be honest. "But we can't see what the hell he's talking about so..." I trailed off, lifting a hand in the air as if to say, 'What're you going to do?'

"So...why does Leo only do this around you guys?" Remus and I glanced at each other before shrugging.

"We don't-" Peter cut us off.

"And don't say you don't know." We sighed before looking back up at them.

"We know why, but we can't tell you." Lily opened her mouth to protest. "No, we can't. We won't betray his trust Lily, god knows he can only trust a few people as it is." Lily looked sad, and I realised what I had implied.

"No, Lily, I didn't mean it like that! Leo considers you just as, or even more important, than us, that's why he won't tell you." She looked up, confused and relieved.

"How does that work?" James asked seriously, running a hand through his hair as part of a nervous habit.

"Well, Leo considers you his best friend Lily, you were his _first_ friend as well. He didn't tell you, because he doesn't want to lose you." I explained, and seeing they were still confused, Remus took over.

"He has this absurd thing where he thinks if you found out you'd yell at him and call him names, and ditch him." As in, she'd call him a monster, or a freak, and then avoid him like the plague because of what he is.

"So, why'd he tell you?" We glanced at each other.

"Well, because I'm a werewolf, and Leo already knew that and Elaine..." Remus started before looking to me, not actually sure.

"I don't know why he told me, probably because I was his first friend who didn't have a secret," I paused for a second. "Or, well, that he didn't know had a secret." I amended before continuing. "And he wasn't so afraid of losing." Lily smiled at me lightly, and I saluted.

"Leo has a lot of secrets." I stated, which they were all too aware of. "Some even you don't know Remus." I told him, and they all raised their eyebrows at me.

"So, why do you know?" I shrugged, standing up and heading for the girls dorm.

"Circumstance." I meant about the abuse thing. Remus didn't know about Leo's, nor mine, parental abuse, and he wasn't going to.

"What circumstance?" I paused at the bottom of the stares to look over my shoulder at them.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" I then headed upstairs to bed.

An hour after everyone else had gone to sleep, I crawled out of my bed, and over to the window. I don't know what made me do it, but something inside me forced me out of my bed and over to the window.

I stared out over the grounds, to the Forbidden forest, the Black lake, the Owlery, I could see everything.

Including the figure of a lone person making their way across the grass. I stared down at them for a few seconds, knowing exactly who I was looking at.

"Leo..." I whispered, and I saw his head lift, as if he had heard me, before it shook and he lowered his chin to the ground once more.

Had he heard me?

It wasn't impossible, was it? I mean, he was half-vampire, they have heightened senses.

He could have heard me. Then again, I was seven floors up, and whispering.

There was no way he could have heard me, right?

Either way, I quickly but quietly exited the girls dorm, padding down the stairs on my bare feet, clad only in my long nightshirt.

Gryffindor colours, scarlet mainly, with gold trim on the end of the sleeves and around the neck. It came down past my knees, and I sat on the plush red couch in the middle of the common room, waiting for him to come in.

My eyelids started to droop, and I tried to fight it, but the exhaustion took over me, and soon, I was in a deep sleep.

The next morning I woke up on the same couch, but with a pillow beneath my head and a sheet cast over me.

Leo.

* * *

(A/N): So, what did you think?

Aw, after all that angst, I present you with a little Eleo.

Please review and/or check out my other stories!


	81. Can't Argue With That

(A/N): Hey Guys! So, I know I haven't updated in a while but...I've been busy. And every time I sat down to write any of my fanfics, I just felt like punching myself in the face. On the upside, this chapter 1,300 words, and it's not very angst-y! Also on the upside, I used this time away to write some of my book.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Leo, Elaine, Shari, Nicholai and Mia.

* * *

Leo

"Thanks." I heard Elaine whisper as she sat down next to me in the Great hall, at the Gryffindor table. Today was an off day from the Wizards Chess tournament, to both give us a break, and to make us focus on our studies.

"S'alright." I muttered, just loud enough for her to hear, knowing exactly what she was talking about.

I had received a letter back from Shari this morning, and the words were ingrained into my brain.

_Leo,_

_What sort of problems?_

_How bad is it? And tell the truth, I don't want to find out later that you didn't tell me the full of it, because I swear to god Leo, I will hurt you if you do._

_Sensory Alert? Do you mean the heightened senses for hunting thing? We've never really had a name for it. _

_Of course they don't understand, they're _humans_ Leo, they aren't like us. That's just the way they are. They either hate us, or accept us perfectly, the way we are, and both are unacceptable._

_Humans are prey, a herd of cattle. They bond together for strength, but their relationships are often their downfalls._

_You aren't weak Leo, but you certainly aren't all that strong. After all, you can't beat me just yet, and don't you forget it!_

_It's no trouble Leo._

_I cope by, as you've seen, not getting attached. I don't get attached, I don't stop, I keep moving. I leave others for dead, to keep myself alive. That's how I can deal with the blood lust...I don't care, so I don't notice it all that much. _

_As for why..._

_I used to be like you, caring about every little thing I came across, wanting to protect people, to save the freaking world, but one day I realised..._

_A lot of people in this world are monsters, and most aren't creatures of the night Leo._

_Truthfully,_

_Shari_

_P.S: Judy, I won't tell your father._

_P.P.S: He's fine, by the way._

I had felt bad, for a minute, that I hadn't asked about my father, but I had learned, long before now, that he could handle himself. Time and time again, in fact.

"No chess! No chess today!" Sirius crowed, jumping to stand on the table, starting to clap loudly, drawing attention to himself.

Others around the places started to clap as well, either because they agreed, or because it was Sirius, and soon, everyone was clapping in time.

"You may want to run Sirius, Minnie's heading this way." I told him, over the boom of hundreds clapping, and his head snapped around to see Professor McGonagall forcing her way through the crowd over here.

"Uh-oh!" He yelled, and bounded down the table a few feet, scattering dishes, before jumping to the ground and attempting to race away.

"Mr Black!" Minnie shouted, her stern voice cutting through the quietening crowd, but Sirius still ran. "Detention!" She yelled, just as he dashed out of the Great hall.

"Well there's something you don't see every day." Remus remarked, sitting down on Elaine's other side, biting into the apple he had found.

"It's Sirius, we do see it every day." I replied with a grin, and I could feel the others staring at me, but I didn't let it bring me down.

"You seem in a better mood today." Lily commented, trying to phrase it cautiously, I could tell, not to send me off the deep end.

"Maybe it's the cold air, or maybe it's the fact that I didn't sleep last night, but yeah, I'm just a little bit happy." I beamed at her, and they blinked lightly before changing the subject.

"Ookay..." James said, rolling his eyes playfully.

"I still don't see why he has to sit here." Lily said, her tone harsh, and I saw James' smile drop slightly.

"Ah, you love it." She shook her head, groaning in frustration.

"He sits here because he's amusing, most of the time, we're friends with him, you don't think the others so bad, and you get him as part of the package." Elaine reminded her, and Lily frowned, her eyebrows scrunched together in the middle.

"When did I ever say that?" Elaine shrugged, a small, smug smile painted on her lips.

"You talk in your sleep sometimes." Lily looked outraged, and embarrassed, while James look like he was mentally taking notes of the events.

"Does she ever say anything about me?" He poked a finger to his chest proudly, and Elaine smirked at him.

"Sometimes..." Lily looked horrified, and James grinned. "...but only to say you're a toerag. Sorry James." His face fell, and Lily grinned now, snickering quietly, hiding it with a hand.

"She's also a cuddler." I teased, and Lily's cheeks burst into colour, scarlet, that is. James smirked at her, thanking me with his eyes, but I nudged her lightly. "And let's just say, the drool isn't minimal." She glared at me, but I beamed at her so brightly that she simply shook her head, forgetting her anger.

"At least I do sleep!" She said smartly, and I shrugged.

"I see no reason to sleep when there is a whole world out there waiting to be explored." Lily and Elaine raised their eyebrows while the remaining boys nodded.

"That was such a Marauder thing to say." I shrugged, rubbing my shoulder against Elaine's before letting it rest there.

"What can I say, I can't fault their logic." James and Peter high-fived while the girls rolled their eyes.

"That's because it's Moony's logic." Elaine remarked, and I hid a smile while the boys, besides Remus, looked somewhat crestfallen.

"Can't argue with that either."

"Maybe the reason you can't argue with anything is the reason you can't fault their logic." Lily commented rather confusingly, and I raised an eyebrow.

"At least I don't drool in my sleep." She looked shocked that I had brought it up again.

"At least I don't kick people under the table!" She kicked me lightly, or well, hard, but lightly to me, making her point.

"But you just did." I replied, unfazed, and Elaine had to smother her laughter as she watched on, her half-eaten breakfast forgotten long ago.

"I was making a point!" Lily said sharply, and I shrugged, trying to look innocent.

"Well, how was I to know?" I asked quietly, taking a bite of the apple I had placed on my plate at the start of breakfast.

"Um, because you aren't as stupid as James?" James furrowed his eyebrows.

"Hey! And hey, you called me James!" Lily rolled her eyes, looking angry at herself, and at him.

"_Potter, _you prat, stay out of this." James looked confused, and if I'm honest, a little bit hurt.

"But- you said-" Lily glared at him, and he shut up immediately.

"Relax Princess, stress is slowly killing you." Whether it was the nickname, the familiar phrase, or just the presence of someone who knew her so well, that one sentence calmed Lily down as soon as I said it.

"Thank you, Leo." She said stiffly, not wanting to acknowledge the fact that the others were all now staring at her. "And would you all please stop _looking _at me?" Or not. The others averted their eyes, but Elaine's remained on her.

"Apple?" I asked her quietly, the voice of peace, holding out an apple slice to her, which she took.

"Thanks." She repeated quietly, nibbling on the apple piece I had handed her, sighing lightly as she did so.

"How'd you sleep?" I asked her, and she shrugged.

"Well enough, I suppose." She smiled lightly, hiding it with her hair as it fell into her face. "How about you Elaine? I didn't hear you come back in after you left." Elaine paused for a second.

"Pretty good, though that couch is awful lumpy. It was warm though. Nice, otherwise." She glanced at me, the corner of her lips twitching up, and I knew she was thanking me again.

"You'd be surprised what a good pillow can do." Lily looked confused, but shrugged it off, figuring we were just being odd again.

"Well, I slept great." James interjected, and Lily rolled her eyes.

"No one cares, Potter."

* * *

(A/N): So, what did you think?

Lily can be so mean!

Shari is bitter. Very. Bitter.

Please review and/or check out my other stories!

P.S: Do you guys remember me saying I'm going to fail everything? Well, apparently not. According to my friends, from my teachers, I'm getting an A in English, Drama, Science, and probably Humanities. Strange. Also, maybe Maths.


	82. Accessory of the Year

(A/N): Hey Guys! So, two chapters in one night after a dry spell! How do you feel about me now?!

Edit: This chapter has been editted, because I said they were first years instead of second years.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Leo, Elaine, Shari, Nicholai, Mia, Brooke and Quiggly.

* * *

James

Classes were awfully dull as of late. Then again, when weren't they? I conferred with Sirius, and he agrees that we should add a little spice to the bleak life here at Hogwarts, with a little prank.

Peter went along immediately, and Remus took a little convincing, but eventually, he joined us with a roll of his eyes, probably hoping to minimise the damage. Pfft, like he could!

And as an added bonus...we made Leo come along with us.

"Okay Leo, since you are now a consorting Marauder-" He tried to protest, but I waved him off. "Too bad, you are." He raised an eyebrow, though remained silent.

"Deal with it." Sirius told him playfully, having one arm hooked around Leo's, mine around his other as if to keep him in place.

Truth be told, if Leo wanted to leave, we wouldn't be able to stop him, we knew that. After all, remember the last time we tried to kidnap him? He escaped, and we couldn't get him back into the bloody chair!

"Anyway, as consorting Marauder, you must help us with a prank. Or, if that doesn't strike your fancy, you could make a whole new prank on your own." I suggested, and he pouted at me, which I must say, for a guy, was quite adorable.

"Do I have to?" He whined, and we all nodded. "Well then, if I have no choice...I'll do a prank on my own." Peter rolled his eyes.

"This should be good." Leo glared at the back of Pete's head, seeing as he was walking a little ways ahead of us, and I shook my head.

"You don't know that Pete. Leo could be a pranking mastermind in disguise!" Leo smiled slightly before leaning with his full weight on me, almost tripping me up.

"Thanks Prongs." I attempted to push him off me, and he simply flopped onto Sirius instead, who huffed.

"What have you been eating?" I saw Leo smirk, and I was silently happy that he wasn't sulking. Did he really hate himself?

"Less than you have, oh sir-starving!" Leo teased before righting himself so he was walking by himself now, not leaning on one of us.

"Hey! I'm a growing boy, you know!" Leo snorted, and I rolled my eyes. Sirius ate more than was natural.

"Growing into what, Sasquatch?" Leo asked rhetorically, and Sirius looked a little peeved. "Relax, Padfoot, stress is slowly killing you." We don't know why he said that, or where he picked it up, but when he said that, it actually helped.

It reminded us that, someone was there, that someone cared about us, and knew when we were angry. And they actually cared for our well-being. I knew, for Sirius, with parents like his, this was very, very valuable.

"Yeah, yeah, let's just get this started." Sirius sighed, and I raised an eyebrow over Leo's head, which was hard considering he was actually maybe an inch taller than the both of us. And we weren't exactly short for our age.

"Speaking of which, what are we doing?" Leo asked curiously, and Sirius returned my glance before nodding, showing that he was fine, and that I could tell him.

"We're pulling a prank in the Great Hall." Not very original, no, but still, it would be funny with the right preparation.

"What type of prank?" Leo asked, staring at me, waiting for an answer. For someone so secretive, he sure expects a lot of answers.

"We're going to cast a spell that drops glue and glitter onto everyone." His eyebrows wrinkled together in concentration, and confusion.

"Won't the teachers know it was you?" We all paused for a second, thinking it over.

"Crap." Remus swore, a rare event for him, and the rest of us Marauders felt the same.

"What are we going to do now? How will they not know it was us?" Peter asked, and Leo raised an eyebrow.

"Well, you could just enchant the ceiling to snow glue and glitter. Then no one will know it was you." We all froze, staring at him intently.

"Won't they still know it was us?" Remus asked, speaking for all of us, and Leo nodded with a grin.

"Not if you do it tonight, setting a delaying charm on it so it goes off at breakfast tomorrow instead of straight away." We stared at him. "All you have to do then is look innocent, and the teacher's will have no clue it was you."

"You, my man, are a genius." Sirius told him, untangling his arm from Leo's and draping it over his shoulders instead.

"You do know how to look innocent, don't you?" He asked, raising an eyebrow at us as if to challenge this, and we rolled our eyes.

"We weren't always wildly popular pranksters, you know." Leo scoffed.

"Wildy popular...pranksters...heh, you make me laugh." We raised eyebrows at him as he shrugged off Sirius arm from his shoulder, making to walk away.

"What?" Peter asked, puzzled, just like the rest of us.

"You may be popular, but you're only second years. Also, this is the first prank you've actually pulled." We all looked rather sheepish, I think.

"All you have to do now though is make it through the day, sneak into the Great Hall tonight, cast the charms, and watch chaos unfold in the morning." He grinned at us before gripping the strap of his messenger back slightly tighter as if out of habit, and starting towards our first lesson of the day, Potions.

"Hey, wait up!" We called, chasing after him.

As we arrived at the Potions classroom, Leo pulled Elaine and Lily (oh my Evans!) over to us.

"We won't be going to the Great Hall for breakfast in the morning." He told them in hushed tones, and they nodded, though looking curious.

"Why not?" He grinned atLily (my Lily-flower!), which she returned. What I would give to make her smile like that! ...or at all, really.

"From what I've heard, glue and glitter aren't really in as an accessory this year."

* * *

(A/N): So, what did you think?

The title 'Accessory of the Year' is both a reference to that last line, and the fact that Leo is an accessory to the crime (if you could call pranking a crime).

Please review and/or check out my other stories!


	83. Knowledge Can Be Deadly

(A/N): Hey Guys! Short chapter, really short, and I know I haven't updated in a while, but I had a bit of writers block when it came tot his story. On the upside, I have started another new fanfic, an Avatar: the Last Airbender one. I hope you like this chapter because it is important.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Leo, Elaine, Shari, Nicholai, Brooke and Mia.

* * *

Leo

The boys, being the boys, woke me up late in the night while preparing for their prank.

"Okay, we've got everything? Okay..." James whispered, and I smiled lightly.

"Arses, you could at least try to be quiet." They all, except Moony, jumped out of surprise as I sat up, pretending to rub my eyes.

"Now that you're up, you might as well come with us." Sirius stated playfully, throwing a shirt lying on the top of my suitcase at me, which I caught.

"You have extraordinary reflexes for someone who's just woken up." James commented, sounding suspicious, and Remus froze while I merely shrugged it off.

"Thanks, I guess." Did he know? He couldn't know, could he? I considered it for a second. We had given him a pretty exhaustive amount of clues and hints to it...and he was rather intelligent at times... And once, I had told him directly. Maybe, now that he knew about Moony being a werewolf, he had reconsidered it and realised the truth of it. I was only hoping he wouldn't tell Lily.

"I swear, it runs in the family." Sirius said, before thinking it over again. "Actually, more in the household." I raised an eyebrow at him and he elaborated. "Well, you have great reflexes, so does Mr E, and Shari has great hearing as well so...what is it, something in the water?" James paled, freezing for a second, and I felt the shock jolting through his veins.

He knows.

* * *

(A/N): So, what did you think?

James knows!

Please review and/or check out my other stories!


	84. Better Off Not Knowing

(A/N): Hey Guys! So, I have two more days of school, tomorrow and Friday, and then I'm off school for two weeks! Then, I only have one term before Christmas break, and then I'm a year 10! *Sob* I grow up so fast!

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Leo, Elaine, Shari, Nicholai, Brooke and Mia.

* * *

Leo

As we 'snuck' towards the Great Hall, James slowed down to meet me, and Remus glanced at him before speeding up to join Sirius and Peter.

"Leo..." I cut him off with a small smile.

"You know." He blinked, looking startled, and I knew my assumptions were correct.

"Know what?" I rolled my eyes at him but didn't reply. "Oh." He stayed silent for a minute. "Well, it was kind of obvious after Remus'...I guess I'm a little bit of an idiot for not having seen it before now." I nodded in agreement, and he frowned.

"So, who else knows? I mean, I'm assuming Remus does, at least, and Elaine, but is there anyone else? Any teachers?" I considered what to tell him in the split second I had to make it look like a natural response.

"Dumbledore does, obviously. And McGonagall, Madam Pomfrey and Hagrid. Maloney did know, which is one of the reasons he picked on me, along with Remus." James' eyebrows wrinkled and I realised that he still didn't remember anything from the time of Maloney's trance.

"Were we mean to you? During the trance, I mean. Was it bad?" I shrugged, not making eye contact.

"You insulted half-breeds, but you didn't know what we were, so it wasn't as bad as..." I took a deep breath, steeling myself. "It wasn't as bad as Elaine's." He raised an eyebrow, but decided to drop the issue.

"So, how you fought off Remus..." I saw Remus head turn towards us slightly, and knew he was listening.

"Careful, he can hear you." James looked at Remus just as his head snapped back so he was facing forwards again.

"How you fought off Remus...that was a...a vampire thing?" He asked the last part a little meekly, but I merely smiled, almost used to these sorts of questions by now.

"Yeah. That's also how I didn't get infected by the wolf DNA afterwards. Vampire DNA counteracts it." He looked both fascinated and a little disgusted.

"Sorry, this 'DNA' stuff freaks me out a little. So...your dad...he's a vampire too?" My smile widened slightly.

"I'm half-vamp, he's full vamp. So is Shari." I explained, and his eyes widened, though he stared straight ahead this time instead of at me.

"We were in a house full of vampires for Christmas." He whispered, trying to digest it, obviously not thinking I could hear him.

"Well, yeah." His head snapped around and he stared at me, shocked.

"You heard that?" I grimaced.

"I hear a lot of things." I told him, before increasing my speed slightly to catch up with the other boys. "McGonagall is about to come around that corner." I explained quietly as I pulled them all behind a tapestry that smelt like mothballs and lint.

We remained silent, barely trusting to breathe, until McGonagall had turned the corner, passed us, and turned another corner.

"Alright, we should be safe now. The next closest is a Hufflepuff near the kitchens, Filch and that dreadful cat of his." The other boys, except for Remus, and partly James, looked confused, but shrugged it off after a minute or two.

"Let's go then, shall we?" James announced, somewhat awkwardly, and my lips twitched up in the corners.

"Uh, right." Sirius muttered, pulling the curtain away so we could all exit the small alcove behind it. We marched almost uniformly to the Great Hall, where it was guarded by a yawning Professor Slughorn.

"Great, now what do we do?" James whispered, and the others boys paused. Obviously, they hadn't thought this far ahead.

"Create a diversion." I stated simply, before crossing to the other side of the corridor, still out of Slughorn's view, and down into the next corridor, where I was out of even the Marauders views. Scanning the floor quickly, I found two tiny rocks that must have been dragged in on the bottom of someone's shoes. I removed my wand from my pocket, and pointed it at the two pebbles.

"Engorgio." I whispered, and they were now about the size of my fist. "Perfect." I fit my wand away, and fit a rock in each hand, before throwing the first one, pressing myself against the wall to avoid being more visible as Slughorn jumped to his feet, gut wobbling, as the first rock thudded to the ground.

"Who's there?" He asked, raising his wand, and I knew, if he cast Lumos, I was pretty much done for. Thank the lord though; that teachers didn't usually think to use the simple, first year spells. I threw the second rock, as he had remained by his chair, and his eyes widened further, and he started to venture over in my direction to check it out.

"Who's there?" He repeated, as I slipped past him, using vampire speed and stealth, and 'reappeared' behind the boys, pretending to pant somewhat realistically.

I gestured to the door, and James pushed it open, squeezing through the gap, and the rest of us followed, glancing back to make Slughorn didn't catch us.

"What spells do we use?" I asked, having not been in on their earlier planning, and James grinned.

"Agglutino, and Splendeat." I shook my head at the simpleness of it. For something that was going to be very messy, it sure was easy to do.

We split up, each covering a part of the Great Hall, lifting our wands to the sky.

"Agglutino, Splendeat." I whispered, and my two spells shot into the air, and I grinned, an idea coming to mind. "Scintillans Ignis." The boys didn't notice as a third spell shot from my wand, this time the same electric blue as the fake duplicating spell I had used earlier in the year to fool Slughorn into thinking his stock was still complete.

Odd.

I rejoined the other boys as they pried the door upon, and, upon seeing Slughorn still missing, snuck from the hall as if nothing had happened.

We made our way back to our dorm, avoiding the occasional teacher and, once, Peeves, before collapsing into our beds, exhausted, but staying up later talking, like all young people do.

"Night." Peter said, and we all echoed his call.

After that, it was silence.

* * *

(A/N): So, what did you think?

Agglutino = Glue in latin

Splendeat = Glitter, also in latin

Scintillans Ignis = Sparkling Fire

**SPOILER ALERT**

Brooke plays a bigger part later in the story...

...

...

...

And she's Leo's first girlfriend!

Please review and/or check out my other stories!


	85. At The Time

(A/N): Hey Guys! So, tomorrow is my last day of this term, yay! All the Eleo feels, they make me sad, and happy, and want to scream, because I know exactly what happens in the future and...Leo is right, most of them won't be good.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Leo, Shari, Elaine, Nicholai, Brooke and Mia.

* * *

Leo

Our entire group, besides Remus, who was down in the Great Hall playing a game of chess, were relaxing in the Common room the next afternoon.

The prank had gone off without a hitch this morning. Well, if by 'without a hitch' you mean, _at least I didn't get caught_, you'd be right.

Everyone, except for Lily, Elaine and I, who hadn't been in the Great Hall for breakfast that morning, James, Sirius, Peter and Remus, who had cast shield charms, had been covered in snow-flake like glue, being distracted until the last possible minute by the fireworks display I had set up, only to then realise, after it was over. That they were covered from head to toe in glue and glitter.

This morning, for breakfast, seeing as we couldn't venture into the Great hall without fear of coming out sticky and sparkling, I had taken Lily and Elaine to the Kitchens. For Elaine,t his was nothing new, but for Lily, seeing as it was her first time….

**FLASHBACK**

"_Where are we going?" Lily whined, and Elaine rolled her eyes while I simply smiled._

"_I told you, for breakfast." She huffed, crossing her arms over her chest in frustration._

"_I wish you'd just tell me." I had enough sense that she wasn't only referring to where we were headed, but I shrugged it off, pretending not to notice. _

"_Yeah, but that would ruin the surprise, now wouldn't it?" Elaine smiled lightly, knocking my shoulder with hers, and I felt Lily watching the movement._

"_Is this one of the 'secrets of Hogwarts'?" She asked, still staring at the back of Elaine and mine's shoulders, still pressed against the other._

"_I guess you could say that, yeah." What was she getting at? I knew she had a reason for saying it, but I just couldn't figure it out._

"_It's not my birthday." I dropped my head, shaking it, grinning widely._

"_Not quite yet, no, but I figured it would be wrong to make you miss breakfast because of a prank I helped to pull." She nodded, still staring, a small smile on her face. "What are you smiling about?" I asked, and her head snapped up, before I turned my head to look at her._

"_Nothing." She said quietly, staring at the ground now, embarrassed that she had been caught, and confused as to exactly how I had known._

"_We're almost there." Elaine announced, smirking lightly, and I turned my head to face forwards again, where I could see the portrait hiding the Kitchens in the distance. _

"_Where is there?" Lily questioned again quietly, and I rolled my eyes now. _

"_You'll see soon enough." And with that, we reached the portrait. "Behold, Lils..." I reached out to tickle the pear. "...the Hogwarts Kitchens." Her eyes widened at those words, and the sight awaiting her eyes as the door swung open._

"_Merlin's hairy arse..." She breathed, and Elaine raised an eyebrow at me mouthing, 'Merlin's hairy arse?' I grinned at her, shaking my head, telling her to leave it alone. As we stepped over the threshold, a familiar house elf jogged over to stand in front of us, beaming._

"_Hello!" He greeted, and I grinned in return, kneeling to his level out of respect._

"_Hi Quiggly!" I replied, just as excited, and I felt Elaine shake her head to Lily, which Quiggly noticed._

"_Good morning Elaine, and miss." He waved to Elaine, jumping from one foot to the other out of excitement before bowing low to Lily, who blinked, startled._

"_H-hello!" She stuttered, before smiling at him tenderly."It's nice to meet you." Quiggly looked a little taken aback, like he usually did when one of us were polite to him, before looking to me, a wide grin on his small lips._

"_I like her very much." He stated, and I felt Lily blush lightly before Quiggly caught my attention again. "The usual I trust?" He glanced at Lily. "Plus an extra?" I nodded, continuing to smile at him. _

"_If it's not too much trouble." He looked slightly startled again, but he was more used to it coming from me, and sprinted away. He could have just snapped his fingers, and made the food appear, but I think he wanted to give us time to sit first._

_And sit we did. The little table where Elaine and I had sat countless times, the first of which being just before Lily and I's 'fight' at the start of last year._

"_Did Dumbledore tell you about this?" Lily asked, still glancing around the large kitchen area in awe._

"_Yeah." I said, as Quiggly set the three plates on the table, along with three cups of hot chocolate. "Thank you." Elaine and Lily echoed this, and Quiggly bowed deeply before returning to the work he had been doing before we had entered._

_On each plate were two sausages, an egg, and some mashed potato. Elaine made a face, stabbing her egg with her fork, holding her knife underneath it as she transported it to my plate._

"_Ew. Here, you have that." I grinned at the adorable, disgusted face she was making, before a content smile split across her lips as she surveyed the rest of her meal._

"_Gee, thanks." I joked, giving her a small smile so she knew I wasn't being sarcastic._

"_Look at you two, you're like an old married couple." I felt Elaine turn red, as I was avoiding her gaze from now on, and my cheeks flushed lightly as I tried to fight it back, with varying success._

"_Same could be said for you and James." The smug grin dropped from her lips, and Elaine held her hand up for a high-five, which I complied to._

"_I hate Potter." She said it to all, but it sounded more like she was trying to convince herself of this. _

"_Take it from us dear, you don't, deep down anyway." Elaine told her, a small, smug smirk blooming on her lips._

"_Yes, take it from us, the twelve-year-old love experts." I told her sarcastically, pulling Elaine from her chair slightly so her back was to my chest, my arms wrapped tightly around her waist. I could feel her blushing, but I kept my eyes fixed on Lily, trying to ignore it. Ignore it, the blood pumping through her veins, so close to my lips, I could just..._

No!

_I shuddered lightly, and I felt Elaine was confused but I pinched her lightly on the side, and she squirmed away slightly, giggling._

_Shari had said distance was the key, but I thought that if, maybe, I was in closer proximity, yeah, it would be difficult, but I might just get used to it._

_Get used to it... the blood? Looking back on it now, I thought myself a fool, but at the time...at the time I thought I had figured everything out._

_Little did I know, that a few surprises were coming my way, and not many of them were good._

* * *

__(A/N): So, what did you think?

I'm loving the way Leo always just finds a way to end up with Elaine close to him.

Please review and/or check out my other stories!


	86. The Bet

(A/N): Hey Guys! So, today was the last day of school for this term, and we got reports and NAPLAN results back. On my report, I got one A, five B's, and three C's...I think. NAPLAN, I was above average in everything, including maths, which I skipped the last three pages of because I didn't get any of it. I got band 10 in reading, and my dot there was, literally, off the charts. The next three were band 9, and maths was band 8. I honestly expected to failt wo of my lessons, but I was also expecting like, two more A's. Like, seriously, the teachers came up and told me I was getting an A in their class, and then, on the reports, I got B's. Dirty stinking liars! On the upside, the A was in English. We had to give an oral presentation in Humanities today, and mine was crap seeing as I was away. I had three slides in total, and one of them was the title page. I had one picture, the rest was info. Another upside, we got chocolates for winning a competition in class yesterday, and more for cleaning up the yard (well, tried to, the boys kept attacking us with the tongs). My family and I went to the theatre earlier, and saw Hotel Transylvania. I highly recommend it to all, not just children, or especially not children, actually. Rant, over.

Warning: _**ELEO, ELEO**** EVERYWHERE!**_

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Leo, Elaine, Shari, Nicholai, Quiggly, Brooke and Mia.

* * *

Lily

We were sitting the Gryffindor Common room late in the afternoon, Remus had joined us now after winning yet another game of chess, so we had a full group back.

Leo and Elaine had showed me the Kitchens this morning, so we wouldn't have to get covered in glue and glitter in the Great Hall (stupid Potter and his stupid prank), and I was awed.

House elves had been bustling everywhere, but there was still enough room to swing a cat. Not that I'd want to, but it's an expression.

"That was a brilliant prank." Potter announced with a wide grin, before turning to Leo. "And the fireworks were amazing, mate." Elaine and I's eyes widened, and we stared at Leo.

"You were a part of this?" I choked out, shocked and a little bit frustrated. I knew he liked them, but...he shouldn't be participating in stupid pranks like these!

"Only slightly." Leo held up two fingers, maybe an inch apart, and Elaine rolled eyes, grabbing both his hands and pulling them till they had quite a deal of space between them.

"Why do I have the feeling that this distance is more truthful?" She remarked dryly, still grasping his hands with hers, almost unconsciously. I think Leo noticed, but he made no move to remove them, and I smiled lightly, absolutely ecstatic.

Leo and Elaine, they were practically a match made in heaven. We were young, yes, but no one, blind, deaf, dumb or no, could argue that they weren't perfect for each other.

The way they snuck glances, the way they always sat next to each other, the way they always managed to end up _touching_... you could just tell that they were going to end up together.

That is, if they can get over their extreme stubbornness and admit to it. And even then, do anything about it.

After all, one of the many, _many_ reasons that they were perfect for each other was, of course, the fact that they were both stubborn as an old mule.

I watched, with a small grin, as Leo intertwined his fingers with Elaine's, not letting o even as she flushed tomato red. Elaine liked him, she'd admit that, I think, at least to herself and I, but Leo...? He _might_ admit it, but only to Remus.

After all, the only people he's close enough to tell are Remus, Elaine and I. Elaine is out, because of the obvious reasons, I'm a self-confessed gossip, along with frequent reminders from family, friends, and not so friends. So, Remus it is.

Problem is, if Leo _did_ tell Remus, was getting Remus to tell us. He may want them together as much as everyone else in this goddamn castle, but he's terrifically loyal, especially to Leo.

Elaine and Remus said it once themselves, _"__We won't betray his trust Lily, god knows he can only trust a few people as it is."_

Then again, Leo can be spectacularly dense at times, maybe he hadn't noticed Elaine's crush, or didn't recognise that he reciprocated it.

Or perhaps, he didn't want to act on it because of that secret of his. Whatever it was, it must be pretty bad, if he doesn't want to tell me. Then again, they said that he thought I'd 'call him names and ditch him' if he told me, and even if it was a small problem, coupled with his supposed self-loathing, it could easily snowball to sound much worse than it is.

"Because your paranoid and bitter?" He said it with a smile, staring down at her, letting her know he was joking, and she faux-glared at him. Her lips split into a smile a few second later, her cheeks still flushed faintly pink as his hand were still intertwined with his.

"Be careful Blue, you're about to give the girl a heart attack!" Remus remarked, and the rest of us burst into giggles at this comment, though it increased when Elaine removed one hand from Leo's, plucked a pillow from the plush couch they sat upon, and threw it at Remus. The pillow flew true, hitting him square in the chest, hard enough to knock him off the arm of the couch he had been perched on, onto the floor.

"Nice shot." Leo murmured, and then he said something to her I couldn't hear, and she smiled up at him somewhat sadly before nuzzling his shoulder.

I made eye contact with him, winking once, and he rolled his eyes.

"Shut up." He mouthed, and I had to smother my laughter with the back of my hand. The others were staring at them as well, and I knew Leo could see them, but he didn't seem to care. I could see Elaine's neck redden as she felt their eyes on her back, but she didn't move, possibly from embarrassment, perhaps from contentedness.

"So, how did you do that anyway? The fireworks I mean, not giving Laney a heart attack." Sirius joked, and Leo gave him a disapproving look as Elaine flushed again.

"Have you ever even opened a charms book Padfoot? Honestly, you blokes need to study more." James and Sirius both raised their eyebrows.

"Study? Why, we're already smart enough. Besides, then we'd turn into you three, the Bookworm Trio, always studying." James remarked, and Leo half-glared at him.

"Say what you want, but come OWLS, we'll see who comes out on top." I raised both eyebrows as I watched the encounter between the boys, and even Elaine lifted her head to watch.

"Is that threat?" James and Sirius asked together, and Leo smiled, genuinely.

"No, it's a bet. Five Galleons from each of us, given to whoever scores highest on their OWL's. Sirius and James glanced at each other before nodding.

"Who else will be in that?" Leo asked us, and I shook my head, along with Peter, but Remus and Elaine hesitated slightly before nodding.

"Yeah, I think we have a pretty good chance." Elaine said slyly, winking at Leo, who grinned.

The two boys now looked worried, while Remus just smirked almost proudly.

"Better kiss your galleons goodbye, boys."

* * *

(A/N): So, what did you think?

According to J.K Rowling, a galleon is roughly $5, so five galleons would be $25. Keep in mind, that OWL's are in fifth year, and they're in second, so they'll have plenty of time to save, and three of them are fairly rich.

Please review and/or check out my other stories!


	87. Mr Muscles' Confidence

(A/N): Hey Guys! Please hold your shoe throwing till the end, please!

I've been super busy lately- no, that's a lie. I've been working on other stories- no, that's also not very true. Look guys, I have no excuses, it's just that every time I sat down to write for this story, my mind would go blank, I'd get a headache, and I'd shut my computer down rather than have to look at it. However, today, I wrote this. I hope you like it!

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Leo, Elaine, Shari, Nicholai, Brooke, Quiggly and Mia.

* * *

Leo

A few hours later, that same day, it was time for another one of Elaine and I's flight lessons.

"Do you think you can handle being on a broom by yourself yet?" Her head whipped around and she stared at me, wide-eyed, terrified, I could feel it.

"Do...do I have to?" She asked in a small voice, and I stared at her for a minute.

"No, but it will quicken this along. You need to learn sometime, Damsel." I gave her a small smile, grabbing and squeezing her hand lightly before releasing it quickly.

"Well then...I guess...so." She managed to say slowly, mounting the broom I had brought, and I rested a hand on her back reassuringly.

"Don't worry Elaine, I'll catch you if anything goes wrong." She relaxed slightly, but still gulped as she tried to kick off. The broom shot up quickly, too quickly, and I grabbed both end of the broom roughly, keeping at the height it had reached, not letting it go any higher.

"Thank you." She choked out, wide-eyed again, and I released the broom slowly, so it didn't just launch upwards like last time.

"It's fine, you'll do great. I know you will." I told her comfortingly, trying to sound confident, even though that last attempt had me worried still.

She started coasting around the Quidditch pitch a few feet over my head, and I walked underneath her flight path, keeping up the guidance as she went.

"I think...I think I'm going to go higher." She called down with a gulp, and I stared up at her for a second, slightly worried, before nodding and realising she couldn't see it.

"Yeah, alright." I called quietly, just loud enough for her to hear, and she glanced down to me at my tone.

"Leo? What's wrong?" I looked back up at her again, confused.

"What do you mean?" I asked, genuinely not knowing what she was talking about. She smiled at me lightly.

"You look like a father teaching his kid to ride a bike for the first time, following me around, making sure I don't fall off." I chuckled quietly, but still somewhat worriedly. I pulled on my mask, and she frowned before I put a confident, easy-going grin in it's place.

"I'd have to say learning to fly is significantly more dangerous, but not with me around." My grin widened, and she stared at me. "Don't worry, Elaine, I'll catch you if you fall." A few seconds later, fate decided to test me on that.

As Elaine angled the broom upwards, she glanced back at me, just as a gust of wind blew past her. The broom jostled lightly, but because she wasn't paying attention, or holding on very tightly, she slipped over the edge, falling to the bone-crushing ground.

Or, well, she would have, if I hadn't have moved.

I caught her in outstretched arms, and she gasped, staring at me for a second before snuggling into my chest.

"It's okay Damsel, I've got you." I slowly let her down, so she wouldn't be startled, and as soon as her feet touched the ground, she flung her arms around my neck, my arms still wrapped around her waist tightly.

"It's okay, your okay-" I started to comfort her, but she chuckled quietly and pulled back tears in her eyes.

"I know that, you big idiot! This is my thank you." She pulled me closer again, standing on her tiptoes so her chin could rest on my shoulder. "Ugh, when did you get so tall?" I grinned into her hair, breathing in for the first time, gingerly. I froze slightly before forcing myself to exhale, and inhale again.

"What are you doing?" She asked quietly, amusement in her tone, and I could tell she was smiling.

"Trying to get used to this." I felt her blush lightly, and I smiled, shaking my head. "Your scent, Damsel, your scent." Now she was just confused.

"My scent...?" She asked, her voice higher slightly as she was still straining to rest her chin on my shoulder. I grinned lightly, lifting her off the ground by a few inches so she could rest herself more comfortably, and she gasped.

"Don't do that, you'll get tired!" She scolded, and I burst out laughing, still holding her up.

"Damsel, I could hold you like this for _hours_ and I probably wouldn't even get tired." I explained, and she raised an eyebrow.

"Oh? Mr. Muscles is confident of this?" I frowned at the new nickname, but shrugged.

"I could, Damsel. That's the truth." We fell silent for a little while, and I just relished in the fact of holding her so close, forcing myself to keep breathing in and out as regularly as possible, trying to get used to it.

"So, why are you trying to get used to my scent? I thought you said I smelt like...apples, chocolate and cinnamon?" I remembered that conversation, and smiled fondly at the memory.

"Green apples." I corrected. "And I'm trying to get used to the scent of your blood, not the scent of _you_." She stiffened slightly, and I panicked for a second before she nuzzled my neck lightly.

"Having any luck?" I shrugged.

"Don't know yet. Only time will tell, I guess." She smiled, and I set her down gently, releasing my arms from around her waist, and a second later, she removed her arms from around my neck.

We were standing close, too close, and I coughed trying to clear the tension.

"I'm going to go get the broom, we can continue this tomorrow." As I walked away to collect the broom from where it had fallen to the ground, I blushed furiously, having realised what I had just said.

"Alright uh, we should be getting back." As we walked, side by side, she moved closer, fitting her side to mine, wrapping an arm around my back, and I cautiously settled my arm across her shoulders, pulling her even closer.

I just hoped I was doing the right thing.

* * *

(A/N): So, what did you think?

So, yeah, it's basically a filler chapter. I hope you liked it anyway!

Please review and/or check out my other stories!


	88. Injury and Lying In Wait

(A/N): Hey Guys! So, I'm back! This chapter is longer than the others, so yay, but I did only write it in an hour so it's probably got a few mistakes, sorry.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Elaine, Leo, Nicholai, Brooke, Shari, Quiggly and Mia.

* * *

Elaine

The three of us, Leo, Lily and I, journeyed down to breakfast without the others, seeing as they were still in detention from their little prank in the Great Hall. The Marauders had been caught, as they had stayed behind to gloat, even Remus, but Leo hadn't...because he wasn't an _idiot_.

We sat silently on the wooden benches of the Gryffindor house table, Leo and I on one side, Lily on the other, and I knew what she was trying to do.

"Why are you sitting over there Lils?" Leo asked, obviously puzzled, and Lily smirked at me before shaking her head.

"I just think it's better over here." He raised an eyebrow at her, and then at me, before shaking his head.

"Crazy..." I heard him mutter under his breath, and I had to smother my laughter. "Don't laugh at me, Damsel." He stated, and Lily glanced up at him before returning to her pancakes.

"Well don't make me laugh and I won't." I retorted, eating my first spoonful of cereal.

"Well I..." He trailed off, frowning, trying to think of something to say, and after a few seconds I found myself laughing again. "Hey, don't be mean!" He whined, pouting at me. The most adorable thing I have ever seen, Merlin this boy was good!

"No pouting! Pouting is cheating!" Lily refereed from the other side of the table, and Leo dropped the pout, instead beaming at me widely.

"You know what else is cheating?" We both raised an eyebrow at him, shaking our heads, curious as to what he was about to say. "Kidnapping your opponent." I only had time to widen my eyes before he had grabbed my hand, dragged me off of the bench, and out of the Great Hall.

"Leo!" I whined, struggling to keep up with his long legs. Just because he was running at human speed, didn't mean he was running at _my_ speed. "Slow down you arse!" His amused chuckle echoed back to me, but he did slow down slightly.

"Try to keep up, slow poke!" He prodded, and I gritted my teeth, forcing myself to speed up to his level. "Hey, not bad!" He said as I drew level with him, beaming at me distractingly, just as my foot made contact with a loose tile.

"Woah!" I cried as I started to trip, trying to windmill my arms, only to find my hand still intertwined with Leo's. I barely at time to fall a foot through the air before he had caught me, arms around my waist.

"You okay there, Damsy?" I grimaced at the nickname, even though I was mostly used to it by now, a furious blush blooming on my cheeks.

"Yeah, yeah." I told him, shaking it off, shaking his arms from around my waist. "I just tripped." I whispered, heavily embarrassed. Here I was, tripping over things, and here he was, all graceful and catching me! I shouldn't have to be rescued, nor do I want to, but...who am I to refuse any help I can get?

As I went to take a step forward, as soon as my foot made contact with the ground, a sharp needle of agony shot through my system, and I hissed quietly from both pain and surprise. I tried to hide it from Leo, which, in hindsight, was_ really_ stupid on my part.

"And twisted your ankle." He stated sharply, drawing me back to our previous conversation, and I winced.

"It's not that bad." I tried to lie, but even someone who couldn't tell it through my blood could tell that it was an obvious fake.

"Right, right, of course it's not." He said, rolling his eyes, sliding one arm around my back as if to comfort me.

"I'm fine." He smiled at me, and I stared at him for a minute, part hoping he'd buy it and leave me alone, the other half hoping he'd see through and take me to the Hospital Wing, seeing as this 'twisted' ankle business seriously sucked.

"Of course you are." And with that, he slid his other arm behind my legs, lifting me from the ground with ease, and started to carry me in the direction of the Hospital wing, bridal style.

Hopefully he'll carry me this way again someday, for real...

I blushed furiously as I realised what I had just thought, who I had just thought it about, and exactly how close he was at that minute.

"Really Damsel, shouldn't you be used to me carrying you like this by now?" Oh thank you Merlin! He thought I was blushing about being carried, I'm saved! "Or is it something else?" He stared down at me, still walking at a steady pace, not needing to look where he was going.

"Uh...no...It's the carrying thing, trust me!" I told him quickly, and then refused to look at him for a few minutes before we reached the doors to the Hospital Wing.

I felt something warm, soft and slightly wet press against my cheek, and when I whipped my head around, Leo had a self-satisfied grin on his lips, the lips that had just pecked my cheek.

"Whatever." I muttered, and he chuckled, the action reverberating through his chest and into mine. I smiled slightly, glad to see him happy, before Madam Pomfrey bustled into the room, paused upon seeing us, and gestured for Leo to place me on one of the beds.

"Comfortable?" Leo asked teasingly as he set me on the end of the bed, and I stuck my tongue out at him, rather childishly.

"What is it this time?" She narrowed her eyes at me slightly. "It's not life threatening, is it?" I beamed at her before pointing to my injured ankle.

"I tripped, and Leo said I had a twisted ankle." I explained, and Madam Pomfrey glanced at Leo before crouching to check my foot.

Leo squeezed my hand gently in his when I hissed at the pain of her prodding touch, and I tried to smile at him, though it was probably more of a grimace.

"Well, Leo is right. An Inversion ankle sprain is what you have, Miss Folley. I'll be right back with my materials." Madam Pomfrey disappeared for a minute, and I took the opportunity to slap Leo on the arm lightly.

"Mr Smarty-pants." He smiled down at me, almost tenderly, before ruining the moment by raising an eyebrow challengingly.

"That's a new one. You're giving out more nicknames than I do, and that's saying something." I grinned at him, before punching him in the shoulder.

"I like your nicknames, they're less insulting than mine..." I considered my nickname for a second. "Most of the time, anyway." He grinned at me in return, just as Madam Pomfrey reappeared from her medical office with a compress bandage and her ever-present wand.

"This will heal your ankle almost fully, but you'll have to keep the bandage on for two full days for support." She instructed, and I grimaced, gripping Leo's hand deathly tight as she neared my foot with her wand.

A pale blue glow shone from the tip of her wand, engulfing my ankle, and the bruising that had already started to form disappeared. Sure, my ankle was still a little discoloured, but when she wrapped the compress bandage around my ankle in that way only trained medical professionals can, it almost didn't hurt.

"And try to keep as much weight off the injury as possible." She told us, pointing her finger, as we left, and we nodded. Leo had placed my arm over his shoulder, and moved his under mine for support, but I could _feel _my arm stretching to reach.

"Merlin Leo, we need to shrink you or something, this is getting ridiculous." He chuckled, shaking his head lightly at my jab at his newfound height issues.

"Or maybe, you're just short." He teased, smiling to let me know he was only playing.

"Hey, I'm the tallest girl in our group!" I tried indignantly, but he rolled his eyes at my pitiful attempt.

"Lily doesn't count, she's practically a wood nymph in terms of height." I grinned at him, ruffling his hair lightly before replacing my arm on his shoulders.

"I swear, that girl grows in reverse." He glanced at me sideways, smile still on his lips, and I couldn't tear my eyes away.

I wouldn't say that Leo was extremely attractive, but for our age...I had to admit, he was pretty damn good. Thing is, he didn't even seem to know it.

Me, I'm an awkward little girl with a gap between her teeth, too pale skin, and hair that keeps trying to curl up on me!

Him, he too had pale skin, but it actually managed to suit him, the bastard! His hair was a pale blond with golden highlights that used to stick up like he didn't even care, but now it had grown out some more, and almost shimmered in the sunlight streaming through the windows. Oh, and those eyes! Those impossibly bright, bright blue eyes! They were beautiful, intriguing, and why couldn't I stop? Why couldn't I stop staring into them?

"Is something the matter?" He asked, concern lacing his voice, and I shook my head numbly, managing to tear my gaze from those bright blue orbs finally.

"No, just thinking." I saw his eyebrows furrow, and he stared at me for a minute before obviously deciding not to pursue the issue any further.

"Alright, if you say so." He didn't sound like he believed me, but he sounded like he wanted to give me space, which at the moment, I most definitely needed.

Space, however, was exactly what I got, seconds later.

A girl, a girl I _recognised,_ stepped from an alcove, as if she had waited for us, and I narrowed my eyes at her slightly, suspicious.

"Hi!" She chirped, and I tried not to glare too obviously.

"Hey Brooke." Leo greeted her easily, and I silently wondered how long he had known she was there, waiting for us.

"Um, I need to talk to you." She glanced at me almost timidly. "In private?" She winced, and I raised an eyebrow in surprise. "If you don't mind, of course." She was speaking to me? Why?

"Uh, of course." I mumbled stupidly in my surprise, and removed my arm from Leo's shoulder.

"Remember, try to keep your weight off of it as much as you can." He reminded me, and I nodded in acknowledgement as he removed his arm from around my back.

I walked until I reached the end of the corridor where I glanced back, only to catch him staring at me. The corner of his lips twitched upwards in encouragement, and I nodded slightly, swallowing before continuing away, back to the Great Hall to try to catch up with Lily.

* * *

(A/N): So, what did you think?

ooh, what does Brooke want to talk about?

Why was Elaine so pissed at her? (well, we all know the answer to that one!)

Please review and/or check out my other stories!

P.S: I would like to thank all of my various reviewers! I love you all my pretties!


	89. Surprise!

(A/N): Hey Guys! So, this chapter is full of surprises, and not all of them are seen as good.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Leo, Elaine, Shari, Nicholai, Brooke, Quiggly and Mia.

* * *

Leo

I waited until Elaine's footsteps had faded, before turning to face Brooke finally.

"What's up?" I asked, both confused and surprised. Why, of all people, would she want to talk to me?

"Uh...I guess it's time then." She stared at the ground, and I could feel how nervous she was. Nervous, not afraid.

"Time for what?" I asked, half suspicious, still half confused, and full of curiosity. She looked up, staring me directly in the eye as she spoke her next part.

"I know what you are." I forced myself not to freeze up, instead chuckling and rolling my eyes.

"What, a wizard? I think everyone here knows that." I tried to joke, but she shook her head, face serious but a little shy.

"Half-vampire."

Now I just stared.

"Wha- how?!" I hissed, almost pulling my hair out in frustration. "Did someone put out a notice on the bulletin board or something?" Brooke smiled slightly, pulling my hand from my hair with hers so I would stop trying to yank it from my scalp.

"No, but it is kind of obvious." I rolled my eyes, smiling slightly for the first time, though it probably looked more like a grimace.

"Well, yeah, I've been told about that before. What clued you in though?" She smirked, mischievously, and I stared at her. She had the expressions of a Marauder, this girl.

She moved closer to me, until our bodies were almost touching, though we both faced straight ahead, and whispered her reply into my ear.

"Your smell." She giggled quietly, and spun on her heel, walking away. My smell? She could smell me? How?

When she was maybe a yard away, she beckoned for me to follow over her shoulder, and I considered my options quickly before deciding, ultimately, that she wouldn't, _couldn't_, cause me harm.

And I ignored the small voice in my head that was growing ever stronger.

_Kill her. She knows, she's a liability. _

She of course, had almost certainly no clue what was going on in my head, as I didn't feel the nerves I had felt from her earlier, nor any sort of fear.

"So, how _did_ you know?" I asked, and I felt a smirk form on her face. "And don't say my smell again. Because I know as well as you do that full-humans can't smell the fact someone's a vampire." The smirk fell, only to replaced with a grin.

"You are smarter than you look, I thought that might be a myth." Sort of cryptic. Did she mean me, specifically, or vampires in general?

"Yeah, well, don't judge a book by its cover." Of all the people at Hogwarts that didn't know, other than Sirius, Lily and Peter, Brooke is the next person I wouldn't be surprised if they found out.

She was smart, I had always known that. She was observant, something very important, but most of all, just like it was with me, it was her _smell_ that lead me to believe that she was different.

Just like with every person, their blood smells slightly different to everyone else's, and everyone has their own unique scent above that.

Brooke smelt like peppermint, red liquorice and ice cream. Why does everyone smell like food? ...Don't answer that.

Brooke's _blood_, however, smelt entirely different. It was also different from any blood I had smelt before, because along with the tangy smell of copper, was the smell of fire. Well, like a wood fire, plus the smell of the feel of the sun on your skin.

Confusing, but basically, she smelt like fire, warmth and copper. Different, but still good. Less appetising than human blood, but I bet it would still be delicious.

My eyes widened, and I shook the thought from my head.

"You alright back there?" Brooke called back, and I shook my head again before replying.

"Yeah, completely fine." No, I wasn't. "So, what are you? Giant? Ogre? Mountain troll?" She rolled her eyes, and I smiled slightly as I felt anger bubble in her veins.

"Part veela, actually." I raised an eyebrow. Veela? Really? I don't know what I was expecting, but it wasn't that.

"Aren't they usually fair haired?" She glanced at me as I quickened my pace to level with her.

"Most of the time, yes, but they can be any." I nodded my head slowly, showing I understood. I checked her blood silently, to make sure she wasn't lying. Her pulse hadn't quickened, and she wasn't nervous, so unless she was a really good liar, and didn't feel guilty about it, she was telling the truth.

"My mother was full veela, my father a wizard. They met, fell in love, and had me. Nine years later, mum died." She stated it, as if she was speaking about someone else, but I knew, she was in pain.

"I thought veela had pre-selected mates? Like a love at first sight kind of thing?" She nodded, and I wrapped an arm around her shoulder comfortingly.

"Yeah, but I didn't want to say, 'they met, mated, and had me', it just sounds...dirty, that way." I nodded in agreement, biting my lip, wanting to ask her why she was telling me this.

"So, why are you telling me this?" I asked rather bluntly, and she blinked before grinning at me.

"Because you're like me, part veela."

* * *

(A/N): ...surprise?

Please review and/or check out my other stories!


	90. Boo and the Beast

(A/N): Hey Guys! So, this is the second chapter today, yay!

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Leo, Elaine, Shari, Quiggly, Nicholai, Mia, Brooke and (unfortunately) Cipicia.

* * *

Leo

To say I was shocked is an understatement, but I did my best to hide it.

"Is that so?" She raised an eyebrow at me, looking confused.

"Well, yeah." She stated, making it sound like she thought I was an idiot, but I smiled at her slightly.

"And how do you know that?" She winced, staring at the ground now, and I could feelt he nerves pouring from her body.

"Because my mother was friends with your grandmother years ago...I recognised your last name." It was my turn to raise an eyebrow now.

"Which grandmother?" I asked, curious, and desperate, but she shook her head.

"Your mothers, Cipicia's mother." My eyes widened, and I stared at her in shock.

"How did you know my mothers name?" I managed to choke out in a squeak, and she chuckled grimly.

"Because she gave me this." With that, she rolled up her sleeve, and I saw a large scar on her forearm. It looked like the one my mother had given me, when I was five, except it curved off towards the end, ending in a jagged line.

"I know how you feel." I told her, and her head snapped up, staring at me, while I rolled my own sleeve up to the elbow, revealing the scar that marred the skin there. "My mother has a lot to pay for." I smiled at her sadly, and she swallowed delicately, shaking her head.

"How the hell did you come from _her_?" I knew exactly what she meant, but I shook my head anyway.

"While I may be behind her in terms of crimes against others, I'm not exactly a perfect specimen. Besides, they kicked me out of that house when I was seven, when...when they found out." I knew she understood exactly what I was saying, and I pulled the sleeve of my button-up school shirt back down to hide the scare once more, Brooke doing the same with hers.

"I'm so sorry." She whispered, but I merely grinned at her.

"Don't be. It's the best thing that's ever happened to me, really. Think of it as an escape, not a forced removal." She considered it for a second before returning my smile widely.

"So...who else knows?" I glanced at her, temporarily confused as to what she was referring. "About you being half-vampire, I mean." I nodded, sighing lightly and glancing around before replying.

"Elaine, Remus, James, McGonagall, Pomfrey, Dumbledore and Hagrid." Brooke's eyebrows wrinkled, but she smiled at the same time, making for a weird looking combination.

"So, your girlfriend knows, but your best friend doesn't? That um...Lily, girl?" I shook my head lightly, sighing deeper than before.

"I don't tell her because I don't want to lose her." Brooke stared at me for a minute before shaking her head.

"I doubt that." I turned my head to look at her. "You don't tell her because you're _afraid_. You're afraid of how she'll react, or afraid of how she _won't _react. You're afraid, and I completely get that, but sooner or later, she'll figure it out." I stared at the ground for a minute before nodding.

"Probably, yeah. But I'm not going to tell her. Not yet, anyway." She raised an eyebrow, and we were silent for a few seconds.

"James, James Potter? The prankster? Why does he know?" I smiled at her, shaking my head lightly in amusement.

"He figured it out." She raised an eyebrow, looking surprised. "Though, I dare say, we did give him quite a good lot of clues." The corners of her lips quirked up, before moving back down again.

"And Remus? As in, Remus Lupin, the boy I'll be playing against for the Wizards Chess champion thingy tomorrow?" I raised an eyebrow at the word 'thingy', before nodding.

"Yeah, that's him. He's-" Brooke cut me off.

"He's a werewolf, I know." I stared at her for a minute.

"I was going to say, 'he's a good friend of mine', but that works too." She blushed sheepishly and fiddled with the edge of her shirt. A thought came into my head.

"If your mother knew my mother's grandmother," Too many 'mothers' in that sentence. "How did you know my last name? I go by my mother's married name, not her maiden name." Brooke shrugged, glancing at me before kicking at the floor lightly with her feet.

"Well, it wasn't that long ago. Besides..." She started, before glancing up at me sheepishly. "The window incident last year wasn't exactly the first time we'd met Leo." Looking at her now, I realised why she had looked so familiar the first time I had seen her.

**FLASHBACK**

_**Six Years Previous**_

_I was at one of the 'Balls' my parents had forced me to attend. I was wearing one of those ridiculous suits they put on kids, my mother had even forced me to wear a tie! But still, I made myself behave. _

_Just a year before, my mother had scarred my arm when I had spoken out against an important dinner guest, and even now, at the memory, my forearm tingled along the long line of the scar she had marked me with._

"_Here, Leonides, meet Aleysia's daughter, Brooke." My mother thrust me forward to meet the small, pale girl subtly, and I shuffled my feet slightly as my mother disappeared into the crowd. _

"_Hi...Leonides." The girl struggled to say my name properly, and I took pity on her with a smile, even though she looked to be perhaps a year older than me. _

"_Hi. Just call me Leo." I told her quietly, and she grinned at me in return, showing off the fact that two of her teeth were missing. Her pale grin eyes glimmered with joy, and my smile widened slightly._

"_I'm Brooke, but you just call me Boo!" She announced, and I all out grinned at her now._

_Her wavy black hair was tied into a loose bun on top of her head, with a few flowers intertwined, but a few ringlets framed her young face. _

"_Okay then, Boo." The childish word had felt foreign in my mouth at the time, seeing as how I was raised on prejudiced, pureblood, _Slytherin, _morals, but I used the nickname anyway, because sh had asked me to._

_We had stayed by each other's sides, avoiding our parents, until the 'ball' ended, where we said our goodbyes, promising to catch up at the next ball._

_Unfortunately, the next year, my mother had disowned me, so I didn't attend. _

**FLASHBACK OVER**

"Well, hello Boo." She giggled quietly as I pulled her to my chest, wrapping my arms around her loosely.

"It's good to see you again Leo."

* * *

(A/N): So, what did you think?

Leo's mum is such a mega-bitch!

Please review and/or check out my other stories!


	91. And The Winner Is

(A/N): Hey Guys! **FINALLY, IT'S THE SECOND TO LAST CHAPTER OF SECOND YEAR! **'It's going to be shorter than the first year' Yeah, so much for that! Three chapters in one night!

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Leo, Elaine, Shari, Brooke, Nicholai, Mia and Quiggly.

* * *

Leo

It was the day after Brooke told me what I truly was, that the Wizards Chess Tournament came to an end.

Over the past few days, competitors had been weeded out until only two remained, Remus and Brooke, both of who had fought various opponents to reach the point they were at now, the final test, as it were.

The entire school was gathered in the Great Hall, surrounding a single table and chess set where my best (male) friend, and one of my best female friends were squaring off.

"Who would have thought it would be two Gryffindor's in the final?" Sirius asked in a hushed voice, completely absorbed in the game, even though he usually hated it with a fiery passion.

"Suck on that, Slytherin!" Elaine exclaimed, and the few Slytherin's within hearing range glared at her.

"Not so loud Dams, you have enough enemies as it is." I reminded her, and she smirked.

"They can go to hell too then." I shook my head, amused but mystified at the same time.

"For someone who can be so kind, you can also be very evil." I noted, and she beamed at me.

"Why, thank you Leo!" _What the hell for?_ I thought to myself, momentarily worried, and definitely very confused.

"Uh...why?" She just continued to smile while James rolled his eyes.

"Telling someone what they are, if they like it anyway, can be seen as a compliment. Remember?" I grinned at them as they watched me, and chuckled lightly, shaking my head.

"Way to use my own words against me guys." Remus moved a rook, and Brooke moved a pawn to counter.

We had already been here fifteen minutes, since the game started, but it didn't look like it would be over any time soon if previous games were anything to go by.

"It's what we do." Sirius said, without turning around, shrugging his shoulders while his gaze remained fixed on the competition going on around us.

"Anything interesting happen yet?" Lily asked as she returned from the buffet table of food on the other side of the hall, three mugs of hot chocolate in her arms, and I quickly rose to help her.

"It's chess." I remarked dryly, and she nodded understandingly. Seeing the chance for a hot beverage, James reached out a hand for one of the hot chocolates, but Lily slapped him away as I grabbed two of them, knowing exactly who they were for.

"In your dreams Potter." She growled, sitting down on the bleachers to my left, Elaine cradling the third hot chocolate to my right.

Hot chocolate was our thing, you see. Ever since the prank the Marauders and I had pulled, when Elaine and I had shown Lily the kitchens, and Quiggly had served us hot chocolate, it was sort of an inside joke.

"Definitely." James muttered, and Lily rolled her eyes in disgust and frustration.

"Piglet." I heard her hiss under breath, and I hid my smile with my mug of hot cocoa.

"They are so going to get together." Elaine whispered, and I grinned at her widely.

"Obviously. A little slow on the uptake aren't you?" I winked at her, letting her know I didn't really mean it, but she still frowned.

"What do you mean?" We were speaking quietly, so neither Lily or the others could hear us.

"The first time I met you, that morning, James and Lily were bickering, do you remember?" She thought about it for a few seconds.

"Yeah." She whispered back, and I nodded.

"That's the first time I actually thought about it. You know, that they were going to end up married, or at the very least, dating." She turned her attention back to the chess game, before nodding.

"Definitely." She said, echoing the words of her distant cousin only a minute earlier.

Nearly twenty minutes later, and the game was almost over.

Only four pieces were remaining, Brooke's King and pawn, and Remus's King and Queen. It was certain then, that Remus was going to be the winner...right?

That was the general perception, that is, until Brooke announced something that made us freeze.

"Checkmate." Remus gasped, quickly followed by the rest of the crowd, as we realised she was speaking the truth.

Brooke's pawn had Remus's king in check, with no way out!

For the past minute or two, Remus's Queen had just been chasing Brooke's king around the board, she stayed one step ahead, every time the Queen moved, Brooke moved so she wasn't in the same line as her. Eventually, Brooke managed to move her pawn, in a roundabout way, up to the top of the board, where she checked the king.

As one, the crowd cheered her victory, even the Slytherin's managed a half-sincere clap. Professor McGonagall shook hands with both Brooke and Remus, congratulating them on such a great game, and handed Brooke a small trophy as a reminder, and reward, for her win.

"And Gryffindor wins the one hundred house points!" Sirius cheered later, in the Gryffindor common room, and everyone there shouted with happiness.

"What a bint." Brooke commented, staring at Sirius as he stood on one of the coffee tables, and we stared at her.

"Isn't bint usually meant for a girl?" James asked, sounding confused, and he glanced to Remus for confirmation.

"Yeah, but the principle is still the same." Brooke explained with a shrug, looking back to us now.

"Everyone excited?" Sirius asked, as he jumped from the table and sat in one of the plush armchairs, leaning forward, elbows perched on his thighs, and I raised an eyebrow silently.

"Excited for what?" Peter asked, sounding puzzled, and for a moment, so was I.

"End of term! It's less than a month until we go home for summer hols!" Sirius announced, jumping up again, and we all smiled after him.

_I know I'm looking forward to it_, I thought. _I get to become an animagus._

* * *

(A/N): So, what did you think?

I know the Chess tournament ended quickly, and the year ended abruptly, but I was getting _really_ sick of this year.

Please review and/or check out my other stories!


	92. Trying, and Annoying Older Brothers

(A/N): Hey Guys! Woot, last chapter of second year! Also, the fourth chapter tonight.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Leo, Elaine, Shari, Nicholai, Quiggly, Mia and Brooke.

* * *

Elaine

Almost a month later, and today was the day. The last day before summer holiday!

I, having not been an idiot, had packed the previous night, along with Lily, Remus and Leo, but the other Marauder boys were rushing around, trying to find their things and stuff them into their trunks.

"You should have just packed last night." Lily scolded, and James looked up from where Lily and I stood in the doorway to their dorm, Leo and Remus lounging on their respective beds.

"Now..." James said between pants, lifting his almost full trunk onto the end of his four poster bed. "Where's the fun in that?" Lily rolled her eyes while I just smiled.

Such a Marauder thing to say.

"You can come in, if you like." Remus told us, but Lily shook her head furiously.

"And be exposed to the stink pits?" She gestured towards the three bustling Marauder boys' beds. "Not bloody likely." Leo grinned at her from the other side of the room, over the top of the book he was reading.

I couldn't see the title, but I could tell it was one of the books we had collected on the animagi transformation. I frowned slightly, my eyebrows furrowing together in the centre. We three had finished all five of the books, why was he reading them again?

"Speak for yourself Lils, I need to rest my ass." I announced, and the boys paused from what they were doing to stare at me for a minute before shaking their heads. I moved into the room and flung myself onto the surprisingly neat pile of spare pillows in the middle, and James groaned.

"I just finished fixing those up!" And with that, Lily jumped onto the pile as well. "Oh whatever, do what you want." James told us, sounding pretty exasperated, but also amused.

"They would have anyway." Leo muttered, and I rolled over onto my stomach, facing his bed now, smiling at him before realising he wouldn't be able to see it because of the book in front of his face.

At least, that's what I thought until he closed the book, smiling at me before he even looked at me. Oh, right, the movement-through-blood-sensing thingy!

I waved at him quickly, so the others wouldn't see it, and he waved back before shoving the animagus book into his familiar navy blue messenger bag where it rested on the floor by his bedside table. On top of the bedside table, however, was his cat's, Vex's, cage. The thing was pure black, usually something you would think to be evil, but he was a sweet heart! Well, when he wasn't around Leo.

"Maybe you should get a dog or something." I told him with a grin as Vex tried to swipe at his ear through the cage as he lent past it.

"Probably." He muttered in agreement, shrugging at the jet black kitty in the barred cage as if it could understand him.

We had all eaten earlier, Leo and Remus had woken up before any of us, and brought up a hoard of food from the kitchens. Lily and I had risen by the time they came back, and they woke the other boys with the scent of food. A whole hoard of food, and four mugs of hot chocolate.

One each for Leo, Lily and I, and one for Remus. Because, unlike James, Lily wasn't against him being included in our inside joke thing.

Twenty minutes later, twenty minutes before we were supposed to leave Hogwarts, the boys _finally_ finished the last of their packing, and we made our way down to the entrance hall.

"It doesn't do you well to be late for the train home, I suggest you pack the night before next time." McGonagall told us, and Leo, Lily, Remus and I smiled while the other boys winced.

"Sorry Minnie, but I don't think they'll _ever _do that." Leo replied, and the boys grinned at him as we exited the Entrance hall as well, quickly catching up with our peers.

"We weren't _that_ late, I don't know what she's complaining about." Sirius whined, and I rolled my eyes before smacking him over the back of the head.

"I swear to god Sirius, if you had made us miss the train, I would have neutered you myself!" I growled, and Sirius gulped before speeding up slightly to put more distance between us.

"Relax." Leo told me, tugging on the hem of my shirt sleeve gently. Not 'Relax Damsel, stress is slowly killing you'?

"You feeling okay?" I whispered, and he stared at me for a second before laughing again.

"I'm _fine_ Elaine, don't worry about me."

_Someone has to._

A few hours later, sometime in the late afternoon, we arrived at King's Cross Station, and started to say our goodbyes as soon as the train rolled to a stop.

Lily and I hugged first, quickly, and then I hugged Remus tightly.

"Be careful out there, wolf boy." He barked a laugh in my ear before pulling back.

"You two, Damsel." He smirked at my displeasure at the use of my nickname, and Sirius hugged me tightly from behind.

"Have a great holiday, Laney!" He exclaimed into my ear, and I winced slightly at the noise.

"You two Sirius, now put me the hell down!" He instantly set me back down , and I hugged James as we reached the baggage hold outside the train.

"See you soon cous." I told him teasingly, and I could practically feel him grinning like an idiot.

"With pleasure, _cous._" He replied, and we released each other to struggle to get out luggage onto the trolleys.

"What, I don't get a hug?" Leo asked, arms open wide, and I pretended to think about it for a minute.

"No-" I was cut off as he pulled me to his chest tightly, wrapping his arms around me anyway.

"I'll miss you." He whispered to me, and I fought off a blush.

"Then write, you idiot!" I told him, smacking him on the shoulder lightly, despite the height difference. We parted ways, along with the others, and I spotted my mother in the crowd.

"Bye." I said, and they all echoed it as they found their own parents, and they split off just like I had.

Pushing my trolley towards where my mother was standing there was no way I could have expected it. Except, you know, I should have been used to it by now.

Long arms grabbed me, pulling me closer to them, and I almost went into attack mode before I realised just who had grabbed me.

"Jay!" I exclaimed, hugging him back just as tight. See Jay, or Jaygar as was his full name, is my older brother. He had finished his seventh year at Hogwarts the year before last, but he still came to pick me up every year. Hence why I should have been expecting the surprise hug.

"Hey there Izzy, how've you been?!" He exclaimed, before pulling me closer so he could talk quieter. "And who was that guy you hugged after cousin James?" Yes, even though we're only distantly, related, we call James 'cousin James'. Jay was really protective when it came to boys, even though I was only twelve, and I managed to push him off me with a smile.

"That's Leo, Jay. He's my best friend at Hogwarts." Jay narrowed his eyes slightly, obviously searching the crowd for Leo but having no luck.

"Right, and I have armpit hair like aunt Josephine." He said sarcastically, still searching the crowd. That woman had some serious armpit hair though, I'm telling you!

"So that's why you can't get a girlfriend!" I pretended to realise, snapping my fingers as I pushed past him and continued walking until I reached our mother. "Hi mom." She smiled down at me fondly before pulling me into a warm, comforting hug.

"It's good to see you dear." We started to leave the station, and Jay took point, walking a few feet ahead of us, too far to hear anything we said as long as we didn't shout it.

"Marry that boy." My head snapped around, and I stared at my mother in both shock and confusion.

"Who?" She rolled her eyes, something my mother did very rarely, and smiled down at me.

"That Leo boy. Marry him, he obviously cares about you." I avoided her eyes, trying to smother the furious blush threatening to envelope my cheeks and I scanned the crowd over my shoulder one last time, even though I knew I wouldn't see the person I wanted to.

"I'll try."

* * *

(A/N): So, what did you think?

Please review and/or check out my other stories!

P.S: Yes, I have mentioned Jay before. I mentioned him in first year, in chapter eight: Disgusting Goo. He's nineteen, and the name Jaygar is German meaning 'Hunter'.


	93. Who Says

(A/N): Hey Guys! So, I'm sorry I haven't updated in a few days. I've just been really tired lately, the days have been flying by. I'm making excuses, and I shouldn't, so here's the chapter.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Leo, Elaine, Mia, Shari, Nicholai, Quiggly and Brooke.

* * *

Leo

First day of summer holidays, and I was straight into training again.

"Ugh." I groaned, wiping the sweat from my brow with the edge of my sleeve.

"The less you complain, the faster you'll get it done." Shari called from where she stood stationery on the sidelines. Shari was training me today, because it was one of her specialties.

See, if dad and Shari had something they were better at than the other, that person taught it to me, and vice versa. The only problem is...I wasn't really good at any of these things.

"The more you annoy me, the faster you'll die." I muttered, and she frowned, showing she had heard me. Yeah, you can't really hide anything from a vampire.

"Just get back up on the bars, Leo!" She yelled, something _entirely _unnecessary, considering I would have heard her whisper it from across the yard, not to mention a dozen feet away.

"Fine, fine." I muttered, throwing myself at the bars again. See...Shari's specialty was...flexibility, I guess you could say. Or, gymnastics pretty much. After all, you really weren't a vampire if you couldn't flip yourself over three times in the air...right?

About three minutes later, and my hand slipped during one of the up spins. Just like it had done the last time, and the time before that, and the time before that. Except, this time, I managed to catch myself just in time, finishing off the manoeuvre before letting go of the bar as I reached the bottom, just dropping to the ground maybe a foot below my feet.

"Leo, get back up." I glared at her, and flopped onto the grass.

"We've been training since dawn, Shari, and let's face it: _I'm shit at this_." I growled, and her gaze softened slightly.

"Leo, if you don't-!" She tried one more time, but I sunk even further, moving so I was lying on my back in the middle of the lawn.

"I'm not getting up Shars, it's a fact of life. I will never stand again!" I yelled to the sky, and I saw her roll her eyes from the corner of mine.

"Oh, don't be so melodramatic!" I raised an eyebrow at her as I basked in the glow of the afternoon sun.

"I'm being melodramatic? Fine, let's fight." It was her turn to raise an eyebrow now. "I still need to train don't I? Might as well be doing something I'm good at." I explained, climbing to my feet, hands pressed into my thighs, feet braced on the ground but ready to move at a seconds notice.

"Fine." She agreed, after she had stared at me for a minute or two, and took a ready stance maybe ten feet from me.

I watched her every move, every single detail. Every twitch of a muscle, noticing her eyes doing the same to me.

"Let's get this over with quickly then." She stated, and charged, full speed at me.

Time slowed down, and everything sharpened. Shari was still barrelling towards, almost too quick even when things were slower, and I quickly searched for an escape route. The bars!

Without glancing up, I knew exactly how high up they were, seeing as how I had just thrown myself around them for the past few hours. And I knew exactly how long it would take me to move.

Just as Shari reached that crucial point, she smirked, and I knew she thought she had me. But she didn't.

I leapt into the air, my hand wrapping around the slender pole, knees lifting until they were almost flat against my torso, and I coiled in on myself, pulling with my arms until my body pointed straight out from the bar. Extending my legs slowly, I pushed them upwards even further, the rest of my body continuing to turn until, for a second, I was completely upside down.

Gravity started to kick in, but what did gravity mean to someone as strong as me? Besides, in this instance, gravity was on my side. I continued to push my legs forward, and completed the full arc as my feet made contact with the bar.

I released the bar with my hands, standing straight and tall, perfectly balanced on the normally too-thin bar.

Below me, Shari was still staring straight ahead, and was standing exactly where I had been. She looked up, noticing the only escape path available, and her eyes widened slightly before a grin graced her already beautiful features.

"And you said you weren't good at this." I shrugged, smiling as well, and her expression changed slightly, she launched herself upwards, her arm reaching out to grab my foot, but I was already gone.

I had jumped from the bar, manoeuvring myself in the air so my fingers were straight out, above my head like I was about to dive into a pool. My back was slightly arched, and as my fingers hit the ground, the force of my fall was dispersed through my body as then my knuckles hit, the back of my hands, my forearms, upper arms and head, my shoulder and upper back, lower back, my rump, and then I used the remaining momentum to fling myself to my feet.

Spinning on my heel, I faced Shari, and she smiled.

"So you _do_ listen. I was starting to think you just pretended to know what you were doing." I smirked slightly, shrugging again.

"Enough banter. You're right, it's better if we get this over with quickly." This time, I attacked.

I went for the obvious attack, aiming to punch her straight in the face. Now, now, I know what you're thinking, 'Leo, you can't hit a woman!', but think about it for a second here, she's trying to do just the same.

Of course, I knew she'd block it, so I prepared a second front, a hard kick to the knee. As my fisted hand flew towards her face, and my leg started to move, Shari lifted her arm, bent upwards at a ninety degree angle, and blocked the punch but simply smacking it out of the way.

Of course, my foot was still flying, and what with how she adjusted her stance, like I knew she would, it would be even more effective now.

Her leg was slightly bent, pushed forward slightly as she had moved to block my punch, and as the sole of my foot made contact with her knee cap, she realised her mistake. She stumbled backwards, not seriously hurt, and glared at me.

"You know, you're a lot more observant than you let on." I winked at her, and she smiled. A genuine smile, and it unnerved me.

Of course, she took this opportunity to punch me in the face while grabbing my left hand, moving her other hand, the one that had made contact with my face, onto my shoulder to spin me around. She kicked me in the back of the legs, mainly for irony I suppose, but she forced me onto my knees and then pinned me to the ground on my stomach, arm twisted up behind my back.

"Do you submit?" She asked sweetly, but I could almost hear the smirk she wore.

"Never." I muttered, even though it would just earn me more punishment. She pushed my arm up even further, on the verge of dislocating it, and an idea hit me.

"Do you submit?" I pushed my other hand across my lower back, grabbing her other side, and she barely had time to look down before I had pushed her off of me, forcing her to release my arm at the same time.

"You are good." She complimented, rubbing her knee absentmindedly. "Very creative, resourceful. However, that move won't work in real battle." I nodded, I already knew how. She looked vaguely surprised. "How?"

"Someone who wanted to kill me wouldn't be very against breaking or dislocating my arm, like you are." I stated, in a military-like voice, and she nodded, a small smirk creeping onto her face.

"Correct. But who said I was against breaking your arm?"

* * *

(A/N): So, what did you think?

Yeah, most of this chapter is demonstrative, but I hope you liked the rest of it.

Please review and/or check out my other stories!


	94. He'll Come Around

(A/N): Hey Guys! This chapter is a little bit confusing (not chess tournament confusing, but still), so I must warn you.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Leo, Elaine, Shari, Nicholai, Mia and Brooke.

* * *

Elaine

It was late at night, the second day of summer holidays, when I was preparing for bed, when I heard a tapping at my window.

I froze before turning around slowly, releasing a quiet, relieved sigh as I found it was only an owl. My owl, actually, Lawrence.

I knew that Leo had sent me a letter, seeing as no one else would use Lawrence, as they had their own owls. Or Lily, seeing as her family were muggles, but that's beside the point.

Leo's dad and Shari didn't really see the point in having an owl, due to the fact that they all lived in the same house. After all, vampires weren't exactly hard to recognise, and sticking together was probably for the best.

I tiptoed over to the window, unlatching and pushing the window up to allow Lawrence admittance.

"Hey boy, whatcha got there?" I cooed to him quietly, petting him lightly with two knuckles while untying the rolled up letter from his leg.

Unravelling the parchment, I started to read, noting that it was, in fact, from Leo.

_Dear Elaine, _

_You told me to write, and in fear of being beaten up, I oblige. _

I rolled my eyes at the formal sort of tone before continuing to read through the letter.

_How's your summer been so far? It's not exactly far into it, but what else can I say? Shari's been training me till I collapse-_

Here, the writing changed. The style was different, and I realised that the person writing it had changed also.

_Elaine, dear, don't listen to him, he's just being melodramatic-_

The style changed again, and Leo was writing now, I could tell.

_Yes, thank you Shari, for that. Anyway, how's your mum? And your (I'm assuming here), brother? The one that hugged you at the station?_

Ah, so he was still there for that?

_Hoping you are well, _

The writing changed again for the next sentence, obviously written by Shari, but was scribbled out. Still readable, but like someone hadn't wanted it to be.

_Love you,_

Ah, so that's why it was scribbled out!

_Leo_

_P.S: Ignore Shari, I do._

Shari had obviously written the next, and last, line.

_P.P.S: Mean._

I smothered my giggles with the back of my hand, and set out to write a reply, smoothing a piece of parchment across the top of my desk, quill in hand.

_Dear Leo,_

I furrowed my eyebrows. Was 'dear' really the word I wanted to use? Scanning his letter again, I shrugged, thinking that if he had used it, I could.

_Smart boy for writing then, eh? _

_My summer's been good, so far. Collapsing huh? I hope you landed on something soft then!_

I glared at the letter, trying to get the words to fit right.

_Shari, he's always being melodramatic, but that doesn't mean you get to steal his letter. My mum's fine, as always. Yes that was my brother at the station (Jay), and he's fine also. Active, as always, but fine._

_How's that gigantic mansion-like house you live in? Still humongous? _

_And here's a James-esque question, played any Quidditch recently? I know how much you like it, and it's important that you do something you actually _want _to do, as long as you're training, right?_

_Have fun being active,_

_Damsel_

Yes, I signed it Damsel. I have to admit, I was now used to the nickname, and I didn't entirely hate it, as long as it was for irony.

I tied the letter to Lawrence's leg, after giving him some water and a few treats.

"Are you ready for another trip boy?" He bobbed his head downwards, like he could actually understand me, and I lifted him up to the window, where he spread his wings and took off into the coal black night.

I sat there, staring out at the field behind our house, before I heard my door creak open, and spun around.

"Izzy? You still up?" Jay whispered, as his head peered around the edge of the door, probably having seen the light from my lamp shining under the door.

"Yeah, couldn't sleep." I lied, but he seemed to believe me.

"Me neither." He sat on the edge of my bed before glancing up at me, seeing as I was higher than him now. "Nightmares?" I shook my head.

"No. Not tonight." He stared at me for a second before nodding.

"I'm glad." He seemed to think for a second. "Your friends..." He trailed off, glancing down at his lap as he picked at my bedspread with his fingernails.

"What about them?" I asked bluntly, curious. He looked back up at me, smiling, though the smile was slightly sad.

"Your friends, do they know?" I blinked, leaning against the cupboard in front of my bedroom window lightly, biting my lip.

"Only one." I prayed to Merlin that he wouldn't ask which, but apparently, the wise wizard had something else on his mind.

"Which one?" His tone was slightly sharp, and I knew exactly what he was thinking. And he was half-right.

"Leo." I told him softly, and he shook his head roughly.

"Izzy-" I cut him off, staring at the ground.

"I didn't tell him." I whispered, still loud enough for him to hear, loud enough for him to stop talking and listen. "He saw one of my scars," I pulled aside the shoulder of my nightshirt to show him the all too familiar scar. "And deduced it from that." I didn't mention Leo's own parental abuse. It wasn't my secret to tell, especially to Jay.

"Oh." He muttered quietly, looking somewhat ashamed. "I'm sorry that-" I shook my head, cutting him off.

"You don't need to apologise Jay. People make stupid mistakes because of petty crushes," He stared at me again now. "but this wasn't one of them." He smiled slightly, though it quickly dissolved into a frown.

"So you do like him?" I stared at him for a second before nodding dumbly.

"I do." He frowned even more, staring at a spot behind me.

"And does he like you?" I thought back, to everything the others had said.

"I honestly don't know." They said he liked me, but how could he? It was just all so confusing. Jay stood, and pulled me to his chest, wrapping his arms around me. I may have been reasonably tall for my age, but Jay was several years older, and at almost Leo and Remus' degree of height. Those two towered over everyone in our year, and some people in the years above us.

"If he does, I'll kill him." I wrinkled my nose slightly, knowing he was probably about halfway serious. "If he doesn't, he'll come around." He finished, his tone softer, though his embrace hadn't lifted.

"You're one of the nicest, prettiest girls I know sis, and sooner or later, he'll realise that, be sure of it."

* * *

(A/N): So, what did you think?

Aw, Jay's a big softie! ...sort of.

Please review and/or check out my other stories!

P.S: To all my reviewers, old and new, I would like to give a huge thank you, because you guys are so awesome for sticking with me so long!


	95. Freedom

(A/N): Hey Guys! So, this chapter didn't really have a reason behind it to begin with, but I'm starting to try to force myself into writing, so I don't just have to wait for my muse to rock up to work three weeks too late, like the bum she is.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Leo, Elaine, Shari, Nicholai, Brooke and Mia.

* * *

Leo

Late the next night, Shari and I started another type of training. Training to become an animagus, that is.

"Okay, the first step is..." She bit her lip, scanning one of the books we had laid out on the animagi transformation. "Merlin, it was such a long time ago that I did this..." She muttered, shaking her head slightly, and I watched her patiently.

"How long?" I asked in a whisper, even though my father was currently out hunting. She glanced up at me, and smiled lightly, obviously remembering.

"A few decades, I think." I blinked, committing this to memory. We never really spoke about how old the members of the household who didn't visually age were, so I never really had any clue to Shari, or my fathers, real age. I was guessing that Shari was at least one hundred, and my father at least twice that, but I had never really actually _thought_ about it. I mean, she looked like she could be my older sibling, not the same age as a grandmother! Or great-grandmother, even.

"Anyway, we need chalk." She glanced around for a few seconds before turning to me. "I don't suppose you have some chalk on you?" I rolled my eyes, and opened the small bag made of sheer blue material, fishing out the piece of chalk I had found in preparation of this.

"Alright. Now, we won't get this done tonight," She examined my face for signs of frustration, or impatience, but I had my emotionless mask on again. "Or within the week, either, but we will finish before the end of the summer holidays." I nodded, doing my best to keep my cool, watching her steadily with an aged gaze.

"I know." She stared at me for a second before nodding slowly, accepting it.

"How long have you been working on the animagus transformation?" She questioned, and I though back for a few seconds.

"Uh...since just after the second week of first year." She blinked, and her head snapped back up to stare at me instead of the cold wooden floor upon which we sat.

"That long? You must be pretty set on doing this for your friend." I nodded, biting my lip lightly as if to appear saddened.

"Well, he's a good guy. It's not his fault, just like it's not mine. I want to help him- I _need_ to help him." I rephrased, and she smiled, looking somewhat proud before nodding.

"And you will. By the time you go back to Hogwarts for third year, you'll be able to accompany him during the full moon." Elaine, Remus and I had never really discussed the plan, seeing as Remus was pretty much fully against the idea of us doing something illegal, and dangerous, just to help him, even after giving up on trying to stop us. This was always the idea I, and apparently, Shari, had in our minds though.

"He deserves a break. I mean, every full moon, he goes through terrible pain and turns into a beast that would attack his closest friends if they got anywhere near him. And the thing is...he deserves the exact opposite of that." I looked up to make eye contact with Shari. "He deserves to live a long, easy life, with no more pain, and no bad experiences. He deserves to fall in love, to have someone love him in return. He deserves _freedom_." Shari stared at me, her gaze softer than before.

"So do you." I raised an eyebrow, and she held up a hand to stop me from interrupting before continuing. "The only difference between you and your little werewolf pal is the fact that he gets it once a month. You are constantly in pain, and you could hurt anyone, or anything, at any moment." I winced silently, but then she grinned. "You deserve all those things Leo, because despite having one of the most horrible lives so far, you stay positive, you act confident, for others, not yourself, and you favour others above yourself. If there's anyone that deserves to live a long, happy life, it's you." I lowered my gaze to the floor, biting my lip again, almost hard enough to draw blood as I felt tears threatening to well up behind my eyes.

I would not cry, I would not cry, I wouldn't cry...I was stronger than that.

"Right, uh...what next?" I asked, referring to the transformation ritual we were trying to set up.

"We need the holly leaf flakes." She replied, a small, somewhat smug, smile on her lips as I removed the small bag of dried and crushed holly leaves from the blue bag. The bag of holly leaf flakes was small enough to fit in my hand, and in a small, clear plastic bag.

"Here you go." I stated quietly, placing the holly flakes down next to her.

"Most of the transformation technique is preparation. The actual transformation, per say, can only happen when you're ready, and it doesn't _make_ you change, it allows you to slip into your true other form." I raised an eyebrows slightly. It had said the same things in the theory books on animagi I had read, just phrased differently, but I still listened respectfully.

"So, your father told me a Professor sent him a letter a few months back." I paused for a second before continuing with what I had been doing, trying to ease her suspicions, even though I knew she had seen my faltering movement.

"Yeah, so?" She smirked slightly, and I knew I wouldn't like where this conversation was headed. Yeah, because that's not a common theme of things whenever you talk to Shari for more than five seconds!

"She said you helped her with something earlier in the year, and I was wondering what, _exactly_, that was." I rolled my eyes, even though I knew she'd see it, even with my head down like it was.

"Remus and I helped her brew a potion to snap the entire school, including the headmaster, out of a trance placed on him by the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher who, oh, just so happened to be friends with my mother." I told her bluntly, and she raised an eyebrow, smirk completely gone now as she rested a hand on my shoulder.

"Leo-" I cut her off, shrugging her hand from my shoulder and rising to my feet.

"I'm going for some fresh air." I could feel the worry in her eyes as her stare pierced the back of my head, and softened slightly. "I'll be back before dawn."

And with that, I was gone.

Sure, Shari could have caught me if she wanted, she was half more vampire than me, but she sensed that I both wanted, and needed, to be alone for the time being.

I raced through the house and out into the great expanse of our lawn, taking off into the trees at my top speed. I didn't know where I was headed, my feet had a mind of their own, but I didn't really care to be honest. Just so long as I was running, alone and free, I didn't particularly care about anything else.

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(A/N): So, what did you think?

Of course, when I write something without really having an idea for it, it always turns into angst.

Please review and/or check out my other stories!


	96. Late Night Conversations

(A/N): hey Guys! So, my internet clocked out for a minute, and out of boredom, I wrote this. This is the second chapter in the last...hour, or so? Again, writing without reason, but at least this one isn't as angst-y as the last.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Leo, Elaine, Shari, Nicholai, Brooke and Mia.

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Leo

The wind rushed through my hair, cooling me as my feet flew across the ground at an even clip. The branches of the trees around me reached out to grab me, hoping to drag me back, to stop me, but with the speed I was running, I barely felt them as they trailed over my skin, their usually sharp needles only tickling me as I passed.

I breathed in and out evenly, savouring the cold air of night, my eyes peeled, darting this way and that at the slightest sign of movement. When you're alone, your senses heighten, as if you expect someone, or something to attack. Like you're simply waiting for the need to listen for an attack. Being alone, it makes you paranoid, and cold, but it can also free you.

Too much freedom, you can go insane, too little, and you begin to hate everyone, even those who aren't dragging you down.

Me though, after so many years of being controlled, being manipulated and abused, freedom was exactly what I needed sometimes. And this running? It burnt away all of my anger, fear and pain, just as it did my energy. But I was nowhere near tired yet.

Around half an hour after I had set off on my run, I froze as I inhaled. I lifted my nose to the sky, sniffing like a bloodhound (irony, I had it), and I smelt the familiar scent again. So, my mind wasn't playing tricks on me?

They weren't far away, so I opted to walk instead of run. A minute later, and I stood in the shadow of the tree-line, the familiar outline of a girl sitting on a swing set, lazily pushing back and forth in time with the cold breeze that blew across the small field between us. A amusing, and probably somewhat cruel, idea wormed its way into my head, and I smirked slightly before painting a completely innocent smile of my face, advancing towards the girl silently.

Only twenty feet away, I made my move.

"A little late for a swing, isn't it?" She jolted, jumping up and spinning to face me, both startled and confused.

"Leo?" Elaine's voice rang out, hushed, and she took a few steps towards me. "What the hell are you doing here?" She glanced at the sky. "And so late?" I grinned, shrugging.

"I _was_ going for a run." She nodded before realising the implications of what I had just said.

"It's the middle of the night and you live Derby, not Nottingham." She stated, looking both confused and sceptical.

"It's a long run." Actually, it wasn't, considering it had only taken me a half hour, around the same as a car ride would.

"And the middle of the night?" She continued, one eyebrow raised, and I shrugged again.

"I was up anyway." Not exactly the appropriate answer to the question, but I couldn't let her know that Shari was helping me to become an animagus, just as I couldn't let Shari know that Elaine was also in on the animagus deal.

"You're a very complex person, you know that?" I smiled before raising an eyebrow at her.

"What about you? Why are you up at like, three a.m?" She blushed slightly, staring at the moon that hung high above our heads.

"It's the full moon. Had you noticed?" She asked quietly, her voice calm, though I could hear the undertone of pain in her voice.

"I had." I continued to stare at her. "I'm sure he's fine." It was a blatant lie, and I think she knew it, but she nodded anyway.

"Right, yeah." She lowered her head to stare at the ground now, and I sighed, grabbing her by the shoulders and pulling her to my chest, arms around her back.

"Relax Damsel, stress-" She huffed loudly, cutting me off.

"'Stress is slowly killing me', I know." She mumbled into my shoulder, arms under mine, moving up my back so her hands could rest on my shoulders.

"Hey, hey, no sass young lady!" I scolded half-heartedly, and felt her smile.

"I just feel bad for not being able to help him. Or to help anyone." I could tell she was trying to shine light on something else, but I avoided it, knowing it would be about me, and helping me.

"You can help lots of people. Like Sirius, with his homework." She frowned, but faked a laugh anyway.

"Thanks, but no thanks, I'm not teaching that dumbass." She snorted, and I pulled away, pretending to act offended on Sirius's behalf.

"Oh!" I exclaimed, pretending to be hurt by her comment, placing a hand over my heart. "How can you hurt me so, Laney!?" I exclaimed quietly, trying to impersonate Sirius as well as I could, even using his nickname for her.

"Because, you _are_ as dumb as a mile most of the time Sirius, even you have to admit that." I pretended to think it over for a second.

"Well, yeah, okay, I am, but that's no reason to hurt me like this!" I cried quietly, dropping to my knees in front of her, hands held up like I was pleading with her. "Show some mercy, Laney, and don't break my heart! Please?" I gave her a Sirius-esque pout, and she giggled quietly.

"Well..." She pretended to consider it, and I straightened up, swooping her up and swinging her around in a circle.

"Oh, thank you, thank you, _thank you_ Laney! You won't regret this!" I said, still pretending to be Sirius, and Elaine rolled her eyes.

"I already am." I dropped her to the ground, and she landed on her feet, slightly unsteady.

"I'll owl you tomorrow, okay Damsel?" She looked confused, but nodded anyway, and I pecked her on the cheek lightly before racing into the forest, and I could feel her confusion grow. I heard the back door of her house open, and felt her brother emerge.

"Izzy? Why are you up? I heard voices, were you talking to someone?" He questioned, and she shook her head.

"Nah, Jay, I was just out here thinking. Couldn't sleep, you know." Was the last thing I heard before I passed out of hearing range of the house, and I slowed slightly, so I could think.

Did she have trouble sleeping often? Did she sit outside, in the middle of the night in nothing but a nightshirt, on a swing set, a lot? With all the things she had seen, all the things Remus and I told her, and she would put herself in danger like that?

What was she thinking?

* * *

(A/N): So, what did you think?

In my mind, Leo lives in Derby, and Elaine lives in Nottingham, which are about half an hour apart by drive.

Please review and/or check out my other stories!

P.S: This chapter was going to be called: Late Night Conversations and Impersonations, but wouldn't let me do that, because it was too many letters by like, three.


	97. Nightmare on the Full Moon

(A/N): Hey Guys! Third chapter I've written today, yay! Also, the 100th chapter is coming up really soon, and my sister suggested I do something for it. Do you guys have any suggestions?

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Leo, Elaine, Nicholai, Shari, Brooke and Mia.

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Elaine

I had been completely startled when Leo had spoken up the first time. I mean, who wouldn't be? Their best friend, who lived in an entirely different city, suddenly appears in their back yard, in the middle of the night? Kind of creepy, don't you think? But comforting, because Leo always had a way of making even the creepiest things seem alright.

After going back inside with Jay making sure I actually went into my bedroom, I questioned whether he had actually been there. Sure, he had seemed real, but a lot of things I had seen recently _seemed_ different. Like things that I thought were real, actually being fake, or vice versa.

My dreams, or rather, nightmares...they seemed so real. Only when I awoke and realised I was alone in my bedroom would I realise that the things I had witnessed had been but my imagination.

I...I had another nightmare, about my father... Not a nightmare exactly, but a memory. The same memory that had appeared in my dreams before, of when my mother, brother and I had left our father, except this time...

_My breath came out in pants as I cowered inside the small cupboard, and I could hear his footsteps getting closer. I stopped breathing all together as I saw his shadow fall across the side wall of the cupboard, through__the gap__between the door and the actual cupboard. I shuddered as he paused, just outside the door, sighing in relief silently as he started to walk away. That is, until he pulled the door open and wrenched me out of the cupboard._

"_Let me go!" I yelled, struggling against his grip._

"_Stop moving!" He bellowed his breath stinking of the ever present liquor, and I saw my mother lying on the floor as my father pushed me into the Living room._

"_Mom..." I whimpered, and she lifted her head slightly at the sound of my voice, and I was surprised to see her alive. I crawled across the carpet to curl up at her side, trying to protect her._

"_You better be here when I get back...or else." My father threatened, throwing the mostly empty beer bottle he held at the wall, and I screamed quietly as it shattered on impact. He exited the room, and seconds later we heard the__front door__close._

"_Come on." My mother said as she stood up, quickly but carefully, holding her side, and I gaped at the bruises on her face._

"_What are you doing?" I asked quietly, surprised. Usually we waited for him to return, too scared to disobey him._

"_We're leaving this place, for good." She told me firmly, staring down at me like she expected me to argue. Instead, I grinned at her._

"_I'll help you pack."_

_Just as we were getting ready to leave, a loud, rumbling growl sounded from outside our front door, and my mother spun around, terrified. As a noise echoed through the house, as if something with very large claws was scratching at our door, my mother put herself in front of me, facing outward though her arms were around me, as if to protect me from the beast trying to get in. _

_Thud. Thud. Thud- crash! The sound of something heavy charging at the door repeatedly, and finally crashing it's way through. Another growl was heard, along with the heavy thump of padded feet making contact with the floor, and the click-clack of the claws that came with them. _

_I struggled to peer around my mother's side and see what was going on, but she held me tightly behind her, and the heavy pants of breath from the monster blocked out all thoughts I had, making forming words impossible._

"_Please..." My mother tried to plead with the beast I couldn't see, only sense by the hair raising on the back of my arms and neck, and the tingle of dread in the pit of my stomach. 'Please, don't hurt her. Please." The creature had paused when my mother started to talk, but I heard it advancing now, with the thump of paws and sharp resonance of claws hitting the wooden floor. A short and grating, digging noise followed every step, the sound caused by the claws of the monster digging into the wooden floorboards of our old house before it pushed off again, moving with intent towards my mother and I. _

_I buried my head into her back, between her shoulder blades, I knew what was coming, and I knew that there was no stopping it. I felt defeated as I started to sob, the beast lunging towards my mother as she tried to protect me from the imminent danger, her slender form being torn apart by teeth and claws. _

_I cried out quietly as my mother's now lifeless body was ripped from my grip, and I saw, through a tear-blurred gaze, the werewolf that had slaughtered my mother, and was about to do the same to me._

"_No, please..." I whispered, dropping to my knees in front of the creature, sobs wracking my body so hard it was impossible for me to remain upright._

_I felt everything, as the monster tore the skin from my bones, taking muscle with it, the sting and burn of the resulting blood pouring from the punctures in my now prone body._

_Just before I slipped into death's cold embrace, I looked up, into the werewolf's gaze, my eyes widening at the familiar sight staring back at me._

_Golden eyes. Remus's eyes._

Then I had jolted awake, to the light of the moon shining down on my face from the window beside my bed.

The light of the full moon, the night Remus would turn into the monster in my nightmare.

_No, that wasn't Remus_, I told myself. _That was a nightmare._

* * *

__(A/N): So, what did you think?

Elaine had the nightmare again, except this time, it was Remus's werewolf form that attacked instead of her father. On the full moon. Scary.

Please review and/or check out my other stories!


	98. Target Practice

(A/N): Hey Guys! So, fourth chapter tonight, yay! This is the 98th chapter, which means only two more until 100. I'm considering doing something special for the big 100, but I need suggestions. ?

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Leo, Elaine, Shari, Nicholai, Brooke and Mia.

* * *

Leo

It had been a week since I and Elaine had talked in her backyard, and we had owled each other in the days since, but my father and Shari were keeping me too busy with training to go to Nottingham to see her again.

Shari was training me both normally, and in animagi transformation, so I was doubly preoccupied, and was always exhausted, on the verge of collapse, even.

I trained more with gymnastics, hand-to-hand combat, but what really interested me...was when we started training with weapons.

I probably wouldn't use proper weapons often, seeing as I could just use hand to hand, and my brute strength to overpower them, or, if at school or in a _really_ dangerous situation, my wand, but it was still cool that I got to learn.

After all, what twelve, almost thirteen, year old boy _doesn't_ want to learn how to use a knife?

"Please be careful Leo!" My father pleaded looking desperate as I threw the dagger he had given me into the air repeatedly, catching it by the handle after it had flipped a few times.

"I am being careful." I told him with a smirk, looking at him and not the twirling knife.

"At least look at what you're doing!" Shari scolded, but I continued to watch her instead of the knife.

"Don't need to." And I was right. I didn't need to watch the dagger to know where it would come down, or where to catch it. I could see it, sort of, from the corner of my eye, and I could feel the tiny amount of wind coming from the blade as it moved through the air on my skin, able to sense exactly how high it was and it's angle just by feel.

I tossed the dagger like a pro, letting it flip in the air each time, just for added thrill. _It must look pretty_, I speculated. _I don't know why they're freaking out. This dagger wouldn't do much damage to me even if I were to miss. _The dagger was small, and not very sharp. Besides, I would heal from such a small cut in a few minutes! Their fears were completely unfounded!

"Okay Leo, if you won't put the knife _down_, how about we move onto target practise?" Shari tried, and I felt the corner of my lips twitch up in a smug grin, while my father nodded, disappearing for a second or two before returning with two small circles painted with a target.

He used vampire speed, and reappeared an instant later on the other side of the field, by the tree line. He set the targets against trees, so they would stand on their own, and returned to stand near me.

"Just aim and fire, son." My father advised, and I smirked slightly, lining myself up with the target.

Even from here, the bright coloured targets were blatantly obvious, I didn't even need my Sensory Alert sight heightening to see the rings clearly. I held the knife by the tip of the blade, and steadied myself, spreading my feet to shoulder width so I would have greater balance, better aim.

I pulled my forearm back slightly, before whipping it forward again, releasing the dagger as my hand reached the place it had started, and watched as it catapulted through the air. As soon as I threw it, I knew I had missed the bulls-eye, but not by much. And, I had thrown it too hard.

All three of us used vampire speed to approach the target I had aimed for, and Shari wore a wide grin while my father looked shocked.

"You went straight through the target!" He exclaimed, and I shrugged, rubbing the back of my neck, wet with sweat as it was, with the pads of my fingers sheepishly.

"Sorry?" He stared at me like, 'oh, you're sorry? That makes it all better.'

"And straight into the tree behind. Nice!" Shari commented, holding up her hand for me to high-five, which I ignored in favour of examining the dagger, now buried to the hilt in the tree upon which the target was stationed.

"Keep going like this, and soon enough we won't have any tree's left." My father muttered, kicking the leaf-strewn dirt.

"We can always plant more." Shari replied, brushing his concerns off while resting a hand on my shoulder. "And hey, you almost got the target!" I shook my head, pulling the dagger from the trunk of the tree and moving back to the original throwing spot, using human speed, not vampire speed.

"I'd move if I were you." I warned them, and they took a step back from the targets. I drew back arm, and this time, I threw the dagger as hard as I could.

As I used vampire speed to cross to the tree line to see the results, I saw my father's eyes widen, and Shari raised an eyebrow.

"I told you he was strong." I heard her whisper, probably something I wasn't supposed to hear, and I smiled to myself when I saw that the dagger had not only passed through the target, but entirely through the tree behind it, and into the tree a few feet behind that one.

"I need to work on aim, I know. And controlling my strength." They both stared at me blankly. "But can I _please _ go to sleep now?" They both grinned at me, and nodded.

"Sure, you earned it kiddo." My father told me, ruffling my hair as I sped between him and Shari, headed for the sweet caress of my welcoming bed.

But before I lay down to sleep, I sent a letter to Lily. I had written one previously, but that was a few days, and I knew she would be worried, or angry, that I hadn't sent her another.

_Lils,_

_How's it going with Petunia?_

_Is the rest of your summer been well, other than that bint? I guess you must be enjoying being away from James Potter. It's so quiet, without the Marauder boys, isn't it?_

_This is a short letter, because I'm exhausted, but I know you'd want me to send one so...that's what you get, sister._

_Tiredly,_

_Leo_

* * *

(A/N): So, what did you think?

I'll probably write more tomorrow, but it's never certain.

Please review and/or check out my other stories!

P.S: To my new reviewer, Jackarall, I say welcome, and thank you.


	99. No Matter What

(A/N): Hey Guys! So, the next chapter is the big 100! Everyone excited?

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Leo, Elaine, Shari, Nicholai, Brooke and Mia.

* * *

Leo

Training was exhausting, as always. Shari and my father were working me hard, but I knew it was because they were worried. I didn't mind the harsh difficulty of the training though, it gave me time to escape my thoughts of other things, to focus on the task at hand. It gave me time to just breathe, to think logically instead of personally, or get hurt. I loved it.

"Are you sure you don't want to-?" I shook my head as I panted thickly, staring at the tree surrounding us.

"I don't want to take a break." I growled, determined to get this right. They had both been asking if I wanted to take a break, almost continuously, but I just kept shaking my head. I _had_ to get this right, if I was going survive. If I was going to protect the others from all the things to come.

"Okay." Shari replied quietly, as if she didn't particularly agree, but wanted me to have my own choice. Only she knew that I was working doubly as hard, seeing as we had also been training to become animagi in our spare time. I was either training for the war, training for the transformation, or sleeping. Or hunting. I had to hunt more often than usual, seeing as how I active I had been recently was sapping my energy, which could only be replenished by blood and food.

Today, we were training on how to fight in enclosed spaces, where it was hard to manoeuvre, like the forest surrounding our house. I would take off, and one of the other two, my father or Shari, would attempt to find and attack me. So far, they had found me every time, and won _every time_, so I was pretty damn pissed off at them, and myself.

"Go when you're ready." I took off running into the trees at once, ducking and weaving, just like I would do when hunting, but I soon heard my father's footsteps trailing me, and I decided to try something I hadn't tried before. I turned up the juice, running at full speed now.

It was harder to dodge the trees now, but I managed, and almost groaned out loud as I heard my father speeding his own pace in order to pursue me.

I ran in a wide circle, so we wouldn't pass out of the forest, and I could feel him catching up, quickly.

When he was only about a yard behind me, I changed direction slightly, and ran straight at a tree. Or should I say, straight up a tree.

My father approached the tree, slowing down, as I ran up the trunk before pushing off, about ten feet above his head, and twirling sideways mid-leap, so I landed on the ground, facing the way I had came, rolling to absorb the impact before landing on my feet and racing away again, in the same direction I had come.

It took him a few seconds to catch up, and when he was just behind me, I turned sideways, so I was just out of his path, and lifted my arm. Just like I had planned, my arm hit him in the throat, and he was thrown to the ground with the force of his own propulsion.

Not giving him time to stand and attack, I grabbed one of his wrists in each hand, and kneeled across his thighs with one of my legs, the other pressed into the ground, giving me leverage.

"Good, good my boy!" My father, exclaimed, a wide grin on his face, but I didn't let him up yet.

"I know you could more than easily get out of this, dad." His grin turned smug, and he shrugged, despite me holding both his wrists tightly in my grasp.

"Smart boy." My father stated, before ripping one of his wrists from my hands, pushing me off of him with the palm of his now freed hand.

"I almost won this time." I muttered, just as Shari appeared, using her vampiric speed, and placed a hand on my shoulder gently.

"It's time for a break Leo." I tried to fight her, but she only gripped my shoulder tighter. "You've been up since dawn, fighting two vampires all day is quite a feat." I glanced at the sky, and realised that the sun had set while I was grappling with my father.

"Eh...alright." I sighed, defeated, and started towards the house.

"Uh, Leo?" I turned around, raising a single eyebrow at Shari.

"What?" I asked, thoroughly exhausted now that she had mentioned rest, without it being the weak option.

"You may want to shower before dinner." She gestured to my body before walking away with my father, and I glanced down, only to realise that I was covered in mud and twigs.

"Oh, that's just great."

* * *

As I entered my room, towelling off my now dripping hair, I noticed the large owl perched on my windowsill.

"Hey Lawrence," I cooed, petting him lightly with two knuckles, feeding him a treat as I realised there was a letter tied to his chicken-like legs. "How are you, buddy?" He gave me a hoot, before shuffling his feathers, and sticking his head under his wing, a clear sign that he was trying to sleep. "Okay then, I'll be quiet." I told the tired bird with a smile, tugging the letter away from him lightly and settling down at the small desk in my room.

A letter from Elaine, I could tell, by the handwriting.

_Leo,_

_Hey. I really enjoyed seeing you the other day, because I barely get to see anyone outside Hogwarts, and because last summer I didn't get to see you at all._

_Do you think, if you aren't too busy training of course, that you could come visit me again tomorrow night? I've got loads to tell you, and besides, it might be a nice break for you._

_Please?_

_Pretty please?_

_Pleadingly, _

_Elaine_

I grinned and shook my head lightly before pulling a small scrap of parchment from the drawer of the desk and dipping my quill in the ink pot I had opened to pen my short reply.

_Elaine,_

_I'll be there._

_Confirmingly,_

_Leo_

'Confirmingly' probably wasn't a word, but Elaine and I always signed our letters with those types of things. It was like, one of our inside jokes, kind of.

I'd definitely be there though, no matter what.

* * *

(A/N): So, what did you think?

In case you haven't noticed, Leo kind of favours the others protection over his own, even if they don't think they need protecting.

Please review and/or check out my other stories!


	100. Midnight Meetings

(A/N): Hey Guys! WOOOH! CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED!

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Leo, Elaine, Shari, Nicholai, Brooke and Mia.

* * *

Elaine

_I'll be there._

That's what he had said. Well, written. I doubted Leo would go back on a promise, but I waited in my backyard, long after the sun had descended behind the trees. It was nearing midnight, when I looked up, as if by chance, and saw him there, at the edge of the trees.

"Hey." I greeted him quietly, a smile blooming on my lips as I sat, facing the tree-line, on the seat of the swing set.

"Hi." He replied, a few seconds later, as he approached me where I sat, and seated himself on the swing next to mine.

We were silent for a few minutes, just enjoying the peace in each other's company, before he spoke up.

"You know, this reminds me of how I met Lily." I glanced over at him, one eyebrow raised and a small smile on my lips, eager to hear the undoubtedly exciting tale of how Lily and Leo had met.

"Oh?" I asked quietly, not wanting to press him, just in case, for any reason, it may be a sore subject.

"My first day in Cokeworth," The corners of his lips twitched up almost involuntarily as he remembered. "I snuck out of the house." I snorted lightly here, and he glanced at me.

"Classic Leo, then." He grinned at me, wide, before returning to the story.

"I went to the park, where Lily and her sister, Petunia, were fighting. I overheard everything, of course, but I doubt even a full-human could have missed it." I frowned slightly. I had always hated it when he called others, 'full-humans', like he thought we were different. We weren't any different, other than what was in our blood.

"Were they loud?" Leo nodded, staring at the night sky, filled with twinkling stars, his fingers wrapped limply around the chains suspending his swing.

"Petunia was yelling, and Lily was trying to get her to stop. She was apologising, for something she had no control over." _Gee,_ I thought, _who does that sound like? _"She was apologising for being a witch." I raised an eyebrow slightly. As long as I had known her, Lily had seemed proud of her magical heritage, not _ashamed_ of them.

"What happened next?" I asked in hushed tones, and Leo smiled, turning his gaze to me now, the pale light of the moon reflecting off his bright blue irises.

"Petunia stormed off, Lily left calling after her. I sat down on one of the swings after Petunia passed me, and I heard Severus yell out after Lily. I looked up, and Lily was heading towards me." He shook his head lightly. "She said hi, introduced herself, I did the same. Severus said hello, though he sounded like he though himself better than me." He smirked at me.

"And?" I asked quietly, glancing back at my house, to make sure no one was watching us.

"I decided to have a little fun with them. I said, 'Most muggles are afraid of what they don't understand, especially when it comes to magic.' You should have seen their faces, it was so funny!" I snorted quietly, nudging his shoulder with mine.

"Of course, the first time you meet people, you try to scare the crap out of them." He smiled down at me, and I realised, not for the first time, just how tall he was. He was at least a few inches taller than me, it was really crazy.

"Well, they deserved it!" He protested quietly, smile still worn proudly. How long would it be before it fell?

"Right, right." I pretended to agree, and he rolled his eyes but continued with the story anyway.

"Whatever. So, they were really surprised, but at that moment, my dad yelled for me to come home, so I left. I suck out every day after that though, to meet with them." I grinned at him, elbowing him lightly.

"Hey, remember how we met?" He frowned lightly, raising an eyebrow.

"Of course I do." I elbowed him again, and his frown deepened. "Stop that." I just grinned wider, but stopped anyway.

"It's good to see another early-riser..." I quoted quietly, staring at the sky now, reminiscing.

"It's a good morning to be up." Leo finished, and I returned my gaze to him, smiling fondly.

"If I hadn't of sat next to you, we might never have met." I stated, and I could feel him staring at me. "I would never have gained a best friend. I'm _so_ glad I sat down there." His hand closest to me released the chain they had been gripping, and secured itself around mine.

"Yeah, so am I." He murmured, staring at the moon again, face blank, the faint breeze ruffling his hair as it passed us by.

Quickly, and slowly, as if without realising it, I slowly drifted into a state of unconsciousness. My eyelids fluttered, closing, and my mind found a second to soar before I went numb, completely asleep now. It was past midnight though, could you blame me?

* * *

An insurmountable time later, I awoke, my eyes full of sleep, my head resting against Leo's shoulder in a way that probably wasn't healthy for either of us. I lifted my head, yawning, and I realised that it was nearing dawn.

The coal black sky, dotted with the brightest stars, had disappeared, replaced by a dark blue sky, rapidly lightening towards the horizon, where I could see the sun was just about to crest.

"Leo?" I asked, trying to figure out if he had fallen asleep too.

"Hmm?" He murmured, and his head twisted so he could look at me, his eyes filled with weariness.

"Why didn't you wake me up?" I asked, realising that he hadn't slept a wink while I had dozed, using his arm as a pillow.

"You seemed...peaceful." He told me, staring at the forest in front of us, as if he could see every detail of the bark, which he probably could.

"And you didn't sleep at all?" He shook his head, still refusing to look at me. "Why not?" He now glanced down at me, his face splitting into a tired grin.

"What if something had happened?" I stared at him for a minute, and he quickly returned his gaze to the steadily brightening sky high above our heads.

"You needn't worry." I murmured, hugging him from the side, and standing up. "I have to go, my brother will be up soon." He nodded, and started to stand up himself, and as I took a step forward to give him a goodbye hug, I tripped on the tree root that had gone unseen by me, even with the newfound light from the rising sun.

I began to trip, soaring forward through the air as if in slow motion. Quickly enough, Leo caught me, but the damage was done, and the debris would be far worse than either of us could have imagined. My lips, pressed firmly against his.

A few seconds later, we both pulled away, shocked and anxious, trying to gauge the others reaction. Leo took a step back, leaving me having to right myself or risk falling again, and in the second it took me to do so, he was gone, presumably into the woods.

I stared into them, the sun rising as I did so, pressing my fingertips to my lips gingerly.

_We kissed!_

* * *

(A/N): So, what did you think?

It's exactly what you all asked for: Leo and Elaine's _first_ accidental kiss.

You can figure out what that means for yourself.

Please review and/or check out my other stories!


	101. Chain Reaction

(A/N): Hey Guys! So, I wrote most of this (the first eight hundred words) in Home Ec. today. Yeah, we had a relief teacher, so we had to start this new assignment, you picked one of the topics listed (I picked vegetarianism because it just seemed easiest), and I finished a full hour before anyone else (seriously, my two best friends still weren't finished at the end of the lesson). My best friend, Sarah, read the end of the last chapter, because I was having trouble writing this one, and she suggested, "He should faint, and wake up in hospital, and his mum will come in and be like, 'what the hells going on'!" And then, I told her this. "His mum's abusive." "...oh." Was her reaction. Yeah, so that was fun. They are so crazy though. Crazy loud, too. Maloney was in Maths, as he always is, but this lesson was okay, I guess, I finished three pages of a worksheet on ratios, so I call that a success.

I wrote the last two hundred words when I got home, but then my laptop stalled and I lost it, so then I had to write the last two hundred words again. Trust me, it was much better the first time.

Someone said they wanted to see Leo's reaction to the kiss, so here it is!

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Leo, Elaine, Shari, Nicholai, Brooke and Mia.

* * *

Leo

Elaine. And I. Had. Kissed!

I sat, doing what was probably described as brooding, on the roof of the Ellwood Manor. I stared out over the forest towards the girl I had left in her own backyard, wringing my hands.

It had been an accident, but we had kissed.

Something inside my chest squeezed, and I tugged a piece of my hair slightly too sharply, feeling both anxious and nervous.

What did she think of this?

Did she hate me now?

I didn't want to lose our friendship over this stupid crush of mine but….it had been an accident. It wasn't like I had just leant down and kissed her, straight on the mouth; she had fallen onto my lips.

I just had to hope she wouldn't think too much of it, that she wouldn't figure out that I like her. And that she wouldn't tell Lily.

Oh god, if Lily knew, she wouldn't _ever_ let me live it down. I doubted Elaine would tell her though, for exactly the same reason I didn't want her to know.

Lily, though I loved her dearly (as a friend!), she could be a rather big gossip when she wanted to be. Or even when she _didn't_ want to be.

I don't think either one of us wanted Lily hounding us, or the whole school, possibly the whole world, knowing that we had _accidentally_ kissed!

Even if she hated me after this, she wouldn't want to embarrass me in front of the whole school like that, because that's the way Elaine was. She was a private person, who didn't like attention, but she wouldn't let even an enemy be embarrassed publicly. It was like, her biggest rule.

To her, embarrassment, or unwanted attention, were almost worse than looking weak, another one of her pet peeves.

She hated having attention drawn to her, both good _and_ bad, most likely because of the scars she bore as a result of her brutish father.

I heard almost silent footsteps inside the house, a level below me, and I knew it was Shari, practically stomping, seeing as I usually wouldn't be able to hear her if she didn't want me to. One of the perks of being a full-vampire, I guess.

She slid open a window on the level below me, and I watched as she skilfully pulled herself onto the roof, both graceful and effective.

I bet you, if I had done that, I would look like a drunk baboon compared to her. Of course, full-humans would like a dead baboon, being moved by ants. Slow and unpleasant.

"Hey." I murmured, almost silently, knowing she would hear it perfectly clearly, as would my father, from where he sat at the dining table in the kitchen.

"What's wrong?" She asked bluntly, sitting down next to me, arms wrapped around her legs as if to shelter herself from the wind, though there was none and it wouldn't have bothered her if there had been.

"Nothing." I muttered, somewhat darkly, turning my head slightly to avoid looking at her.

"Ah, I know that look. You just got rejected, didn't you?" I raised an eyebrow at her, startled into looking at her.

"Kind of. Elaine and I…..we kissed, by accident. I ran." Shari stared at me for a few minutes, but I turned my head away again after the first.

"And? What did she think of this?" I shrugged.

"I didn't exactly stay around long enough to know." Shari rolled her eyes, and punched my shoulder, a little too forcefully for my taste.

"You should have-" I cut her off with glare, facing her again.

"Hello! State of panic here!" I exclaimed, and crossing my arms over my chest again, even though the night was warm, and I wasn't angry with her, really.

"Sorry." She mumbled, staring at me again. "So, how do you feel?" I raised an eyebrow.

"What do you mean?" She grinned at me, and elbowed me in the side lightly, teasingly.

"You just kissed your crush, you should be happy! Celebrate, Judy!" I rolled my eyes at her, setting my crossed arms on my knees, resting my chin on top. Yeah, I definitely looked like I was sulking.

"I did not! We _accidentally_ kissed! Don't try to-" She cut me off again, beaming.

"Still! Celebrate, mister broody-pants!" With that, she pulled me from the roof, dragging me inside the house, to the kitchen where my father was waiting.

"Leo got his first kiss!" She announced, and I turned blood red.

"Shari, I swear to god-" I was cut off again as my father pulled me into a tight hug.

"I know, I heard every word!" He exclaimed, and I groaned as my head was forced against his chest.

"Uh, if you did, one: Way creepy, and two: You would know that it was an _accident_!" I exclaimed, pulling out of my father's arms to glare at them both.

"You still kissed!" Shari sung, dancing around us, and I glared at her harder while my eyes widened in disbelief.

"She tripped, and fell onto my lips! Completely accidental, not cause for celebration!" I growled, crossing my arms over my chest, locking my jaw as a symbol of determination and defiance.

"Leo, son, you don't have much cause for celebration anymore, so why not take advantage of this?" My father pointed out, and my gaze softened slightly while I thought it over, quickly and thoroughly.

"No." I muttered, and started to head towards the stairs, towards my waiting bed.

"Where do you think you're going?" Shari questioned, sounding somewhat smug, grabbing the back of my shirt.

"I _know_ that I'm going to sleep now." I turned to glare at them after shrugging Shari's hand out of the material. "And you two aren't _ever_ going to bug me about this again." I told them darkly, pointing a finger between the two of them, eyebrows raised so they would get the point.

My father simply nodded, while Shari pretended to zip her lips to keep herself quiet.

"Good." I stated, and stomped up the stairs, somewhat childishly, but hey, I wasn't even thirteen yet!

* * *

(A/N): So, what did you think?

Gosh, I make Leo seem like an ass.


	102. Seek to Avoid

(A/N): Hey Guys! So, I wrote this a few days ago, but completely forgot to upload it! heh...you're all going to kill me, aren't you? It's short, too...perhaps you could use something less painful like...a chainsaw? At least it will be quick.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Leo, Elaine, Shair, Nicholai, Brooke and Mia.

* * *

Leo

The next morning, I woke up to the sound of Lawrence, Elaine's owl, tapping on my window with his beak. I dreaded what awaited me in that letter, but I climbed out of bed nonetheless, and fed him a treat before untying the letter from him so I could read it.

My mouth was dry as I unstuck the envelope, and I stared blankly at the parchment for a minute before actually beginning to read.

_Leo,_

_I hope you got home okay._

_It was nice seeing you, really. Neither my mother or Jay caught me up early, or, technically, late, outside, so I'm not in trouble or anything...in case you were wondering._

_Anyway, the big news that I wanted to tell you (that I didn't!) is that I saw Lily the other day. Yeah, we ran into each other when Mom and I went to buy the new books for this year, and we ended up spending the day together! _

_I just wanted you to know, because you wouldn't have gotten to see Lily since the Hogwarts Express so...just letting you know she's alive...and still cursing out my cousin!_

_Informatively,_

_Elaine_

...

That was it? Nothing about the kiss?

I stared out the window for a second, before cheering- mentally, of course, I didn't want my father or Shari to hear me, after all.

It seems, that I had gotten off pretty easy. I pressed the pads of my index and middle fingers to my lips gently, and smiled slightly at the memory of her slightly-chapped lips against mine.

I shook my head, removing the indulgent thought from my head before I started to write my reply. Last time I had written a letter to Elaine, that was more than three words, had been rather hard to write. See, Shari had been hounding me all day to write one, and, of course, when I did, then proceeded to steal my quill and try to write it herself. Without consulting me.

This time however, was slightly easier.

_Elaine,_

_Yeah, I wasn't attacked by rabid squirrels or anything, so don't worry._

_That's good, wouldn't want them to-_

I stared at the letter so far for a few seconds before shaking my head, and screwing the parchment into a ball, lobbing it at the waste basket in the corner.

What had I been thinking? '_Wouldn't want them to ask why you were out there_'? That would certainly allude to the kiss, and if she was avoiding the occurrence, than I wasn't going to ruin it.

_Elaine,_

_I made it home okay._

_That's good, wouldn't want you to get in trouble because of me._

_Really, you saw Lily? Ha ha, of course she's going to be cursing out James, she 'hates' him! I haven't even thought about getting the new books for this year yet, figured I'd go later. I hope you had fun, because, yeah, I haven't seen Lily since we split up at the station._

_Replyingly,_

_Leo_

Okay, now I _know_ 'replyingly' isn't a word. The letter sounded kind of too formal and brusque, but at that precise moment, Shari called me down for breakfast.

Quickly, I rolled up the already dry letter and tied a tight bow in the ribbon around it before securing it to Lawrence's leg.

"Send it whenever you want, buddy." He cooed at my hushed order, and I pet him lightly on the top of the head before shuffling out of my room and down the stairs.

* * *

(A/N): So, what did you think?

Next chapter, time skips again.


	103. Birthday and Shopping

(A/N): Hey Guys! Um, so I know it's been a really long time since I last updated, but because of that, you get an extra long chapter! ...yay?

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Leo, Elaine, Shari, Nicholai, Mia and Brooke.

* * *

Leo

It had been a month and a half since summer holidays had started, and today was the day I had been dreading since the last time it had come around.

My birthday.

"Rise and shine, Judy!" Shari screeched in my ear, as if I hadn't already been awake for hours, contemplating which doom they had planned for me on the day of my birth plus thirteen years.

"Happy birthday son!" My father bellowed, scooping me off the bed in a swift movement and dumping me on the floor.

"Eugh!" I yelped as I hit the ground, groaning loudly as I rested my forehead to the hard wood floor, the normally slight pain impacted me harder than expected due to my exhaustion.

"Get up lazy bones, it's your birthday!" Shari exclaimed, pulling me off the ground by securing a hand around my forearm. "We know how much you love those." She said, raising an eyebrow so that even an idiot could tell she was torturing me.

"Come on Leo, we're going shopping!" My father announced, starting to drag me out of the room before I managed to escape his grasp.

"Dad! At least let me get dressed first!" I objected, and he took in my lack of proper clothing before nodding and dragging Shari from the room.

"And don't try climbing out the window, we'll hear you!" Shari yelled as I rolled my eyes and shut the door behind them, pulling off my sleep shirt and starting to rummage through my wardrobe for clothes to wear.

After much delay, I emerged from my bedroom, dressed in my favourite pale green t-shirt and a pair of faded blue jeans. I slipped on some old shoes as I did so, dragging a hand through my hair to at least attempt to style it, before Shari and my father grabbed me by the arms, dragging me out of the house before they apparated.

Great.

After I had been squeezed through what felt like an insanely small tube of some kind, I opened my unconsciously closed eyes only to find myself on a busy corner, across the street, a sign caught my attention, something muggles couldn't see, obviously.

The Leaky Cauldron.

"So, you weren't kidding when you said we were going shopping?" I whined, and my father grinned.

"Of course not!" I should have known. My father _never_ jokes about shopping. I crossed my arms over my chest, groaning quietly, and he gave me a disapproving look before dragging me across the road and into the Leaky Cauldron.

Everyone gave him dark looks, but spared Shari and me. Me, because I was a half-vampire, and didn't have the pallor to be a vampire, and Shari because people generally didn't expect vampires to have anything other than the palest of pale skin.

I moved closer to his side now, speeding my feet so he was no longer dragging me out of habit. People may give them looks, but no one was stupid enough to take on a vampire, even if they were drunk.

Shari tapped the bricks to enter Diagon Alley, while my father and I stood back, and I held my breath in anticipation of seeing the welcoming, winding row of shops that were soon revealed to me.

"Even after so many years, it still takes my breath away too." My father told me quietly, having heard my quick inhale of breath as we surveyed the bustling cobblestone majesty that stretched out in front of us.

We moved from store to store, Shari and my father buying a few things in each, and a few hours later, we reached the last store.

My feet ached, but I wasn't going to complain. I had been through worse, after all.

"Alright, we-" My father cut himself off as he noticed that, while his and Shari's arms were laden with products, mine were empty. "Leo." My father said quietly, and I shrugged.

"What?" I whined. _Whined. _Shopping just wasn't my thing.

"You didn't get anything." I rolled my eyes lightly, a small smile on my lips.

"That's because I didn't _want_ anything." Shari stared at me for a few seconds before shaking her head.

"Whatever, Leo. Nicholai, let's just get him home." As she turned away from me, I saw a glint of..._something_ in her eyes, and mine widened.

"You're planning a surprise, aren't you?" They both froze, and I knew I was right. "Oh come on, you know how much I hate surprises!" It was true, I hated being caught unawares. I hated it even more when they were planned.

"Leo..." Shari muttered, shaking her head again. "How do you always manage to find out?" I cracked a smile, one of the first ones today, and winked at her.

"I guess I'm just too smart for you." She scoffed, and they started walking, faster than usual, back to the entrance to Diagon Alley.

"Hey!" I cried, struggling to catch up. Why were they doing this?

They kept up the pace until after we reached the other side of the road, opposite the Leaky Cauldron, where they both grabbed one of my arms.

"Oh yay, app-" I was cut off as they apparated, and after that, I focused on not throwing up.

I collapsed on my knees as we arrived back at the house, trying to clear away the nausea by taking deep breaths. Of course, when I took deep breaths, I realised exactly what the surprise was.

"Again?" I whispered, quiet enough so that the people in the next room wouldn't hear, even though they had already heard the sound of us apparating back in.

"Leo!" Lily's voice. She launched herself at me, and I didn't even flinch. I was used to it by now anyway. Over her shoulder, I saw the others. Elaine, James, Sirius, Remus and Peter.

James was eyeing Shari and my father warily, and my smile widened. He was being more careful round them now that he knew what they were, but Elaine and Remus seemed not to have the same thoughts.

They glanced at each other before grinning, and launching themselves at me as well.

Lily squeaked as she was suddenly sandwiched between my chest and theirs, and I felt their arms go around me. I wasn't breathing, and I think Elaine could tell, because she release us pretty quickly.

"Okay guys, get off him before he suffocates." To the casual observer, it might seem that she meant from the force of people hugging me, but five or so people in the room knew she meant something entirely different.

Remus and Lily relinquished their grip on me, only to be replaced by Sirius.

"Aw, sparky, I missed you!" I grinned, shaking my head as I awkwardly patted Sirius on the back, my arms pinned to my side by his.

James, however, went for a more subtle hello, seeing as Sirius refused to let go, and simply ruffled my hair. Peter waved from across the room, and I waved back with the hand that wasn't currently trying to pry Sirius off me without using vampire strength.

"Sirius, you're choking me." I tried, but he simply gripped tighter. It wasn't doing me any damage, but I could barely move.

"Don't care." The others grinned and rolled their eyes, all of them teaming up to pull him off me.

"Ugh, what do you weigh?!" Lily grunted, having grabbed one of Sirius's arms, dragging him along the floor.

"It's impolite to ask how much a girl weighs Lily." Elaine joked, and Lily smiled at her, and so did Sirius, before he realised exactly what she had said.

"Hey! I am very, very manly!" He exclaimed, and I heard Shari scoff.

"Yeah, you're a very manly thirteen-year-old." She muttered under her breath and I laughed, causing the others to look at me.

"Just something Shari said." They moved their eyes away from me slowly, as if not quite believing what is aid was true. "So, since I had no prior knowledge of this at all, how long are you staying?" Elaine's eyes widened and she smacked me on the arm.

"You knew? Did they tell you?" She demanded, obviously referring to Shari and my father, who shook their heads.

"No, he figured it out." Shari said, half-glaring at me, and I simply smiled at her innocently until she gave up on trying to make me feel bad.

Lily made a 'tsk tsk' sound, and shook her head as if it was unbelievable that I would do such a horrible thing as find out their plans for a surprise.

"So? How long are you staying?" Remus shrugged lightly, smiling at me.

"We're staying overnight, since we felt bad for missing your birthday last year." Lily's eyes widened, and she smacked herself on the forehead.

"Dammit! I knew I forgot something." We stared at her in disbelief, and I actually chuckled.

"Lils, you know how much I hate my birthday. In fact, I'm kind of glad you forgot." The others seemed a little shocked by this, other than Lily.

After all, she had heard my rants on how much I hated birthdays.

"Why?" Peter asked, and we turned to look at him. "Why do you hate your birthday?" I shrugged, searching for the answer.

"I hate all that attention. People say they'll do anything you want to do, and then drag you shopping," I raised an eyebrow at my father, who grinned sheepishly. "Or make you get up at the crack of dawn to do so." I narrowed my eyes at Shari now, who didn't even feel guilty enough to act sheepish. "In short, birthdays suck."

The others shared a look with each other before nodding, and the boys grabbed my arms quickly and dragged me up the stairs and into my room.

"What are you doing?!" I exclaimed, trying to wriggle free, knowing that if the Marauders were involved, it probably wouldn't be good. Or safe. Or hygienic, for that matter.

"Rescuing you from a horrible birthday." Elaine stated, and cries of protest came from the floor below.

"Hey! It's not even that bad Judy!" Shari yelled up the stairs, and the others raised an eyebrow at me.

"It's a nickname from my middle name." They nodded, seeming appeased, and threw me onto the bed.

"Ow." I groaned as I bounced on the bed, and they rolled their eyes at me.

"Get over it princess." Sirius muttered, and Lily glared at him.

"Hey-!" And that's when she realised he was talking to me, not her.

"Ha, so you do like the nickname!" She crossed her arms over her chest, grumbling at my 'false' accusation.

"It's still better than Damsel."

* * *

(A/N): So, what did you think?

So, Shari and Nicholai planned the whole 'shopping day' to get Leo out of the house while the others snuck in. They planned it because they had seen how much Leo had enjoyed it when they were there for Christmas, so they did it again for his birthday.


	104. Birthday Wishes

(A/N): Hey Guys! Sorry I haven't updating in so long, I've been doing NaNoWriMo, so my writing time's been taken up. Also, school only has like, five weeks left, so I have to work my butt off and get like, ten essays in by Friday (it's Tuesday). My backyard's being excavated because I'm getting a pool, so I didn't go to school today or yesterday, so I worked on this. It's really, really bad.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Leo, Elaine, Mia, Brooke, Nicholai and Shari.

* * *

Leo

We sat in my room for perhaps an hour after that, playing card games, considering they were the only type that everyone knew how to play, and the only one we had all the pieces to.

Of course, after an hour of playing cards, Lily, Peter and Sirius were starting to get bored.

Elaine was scowling, getting _way_ too into the competition of the game as per usual, Remus was carefully plotting his next move, James was biting his lip, trying to focus even though Sirius was next to him, making funny faces after sitting still for too long, and I was winning, so I was happy.

Lily, who was a horrible card player, and Peter, who was...well, also a horrible card player, had quit early on and had been watching us play (and me win) ever since.

I smirked slightly, feeling the other players eyes on me, and suddenly, one by one, they folded.

"Idiots." I muttered, placing my hand of cards, face up, on the floor, only to have them groan as the shitty hand I had been dealt, and the obvious bluff I had hidden it with.

I stood, sweeping the cards into a neat pile, and the others barely had time to stand up as well before Shari was calling us downstairs for dinner.

"And here..." Shari started, placing a casserole dish in the middle of the dining table, not even bothering to wear oven mitts, though we all could feel the heat radiating from the dish. "Is dinner!" She lifted the lid off, and steam billowed out, before it cleared and left us with a beautiful beef casserole sitting on the table in front of us.

Of course, Sirius reached for it, and Shari stopped him by pointing a finger in his face.

"Ah, uh, ah!" She scolded, before scooping some onto his plate with a metal eggflip. "Let me at least serve the food first, Sirius." Her grinned at her, before starting to stuff his face, to which everyone at the table wrinkled their face in disgust.

"Chew Sirius, chew." James reminded him teasingly, and Sirius smiled at him through the mouth full of food, which was really more of a grimace.

"Fanks." He managed to mumble, swallowing the whole mouthful of food. "Real helpful." He then proceeded to scoop up another mouthful, and the rest of us ate silently, trying not to lose our appetite.

"Lovely manners. Simply lovely." My father whispered to Shari, and I grinned at my plate, letting him know that I had heard, though none of the others had, seeing as they didn't possess the same super-hearing that I did.

After dinner, we moved into the lounge room, where my father and Shari had set up the mattresses again, and flopped down.

We were relaxing, just talking, before Shari ruined it all.

"Look what I've got!" I groaned loudly as I smelt the sweetness of what could only be one thing: cake. As I suspected, Shari rounded the corner from the kitchen carrying a large cake with thirteen candles on the top.

She placed it on the small, round table and set that in the middle of the room, next to my mattress.

"Who wants to sing happy birthday?" She asked, wearing a smirk that made sure everyone knew that she had the intent of torturing me emotionally, as much as she possibly could.

The others glanced between themselves, before looking at the back of my head, I could feel it, before shaking their heads.

"Sorry Shari, but we're good friends." Shari shook her head, huffing, before her smirk reappeared.

"That's okay, I'm fine with embarrassing myself as long as it's to embarrass Leo." I groaned again, burying my head in my pillow, Elaine resting a hand on my back gently, between my shoulder-blades, as Shari started to sing, high and off-key.

"Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday dear Leo, Happy birthday to you. Hip hip!" She held a hand up, waiting for an echo.

"Hip hip." I muttered, and she grinned, satisfied.

"Hip hip!" I groaned and replied in kind, before she turned to my friends. "Everybody now! Hip hip!" The others looked to me before back at Shari, seeing that she wasn't going to stop until they did it, echoed her, and she grinned.

"See now, was that so hard?" And with that, she left the room, leaving us with a whole birthday cake.

"I swear, that woman is going to kill me." I muttered, shaking my head, before turning to blow out the candles.

"Wait, Leo!" Elaine exclaimed, putting a hand in front of my face, and I stopped in surprise. "You have to make a wish first!" She explained, and I stared at her blankly.

"Like what? That Shari wouldn't be so annoying?" I knew she could hear me, but that was half the point.

"No, just...make a wish!" She cried, and I stared at her for a second and turning back to the cake, and thinking it over, before it dawned on me exactly what I wanted to wish for.

_I wish Mia won't be in Slytherin._

It was a long shot I know, but I blew the candles out anyway.

"What did you wish for?" James asked, and Elaine looked outraged before she and Lily slapped him on the arms. "Ow! What was that for?" He cried, and Lily glared at him.

"If he tells you what he wished for, than it won't come true!" She explained, and James turned his head away from Lily (*gasp* it's a miracle!) to stare at me.

"Can't you just give us a vague clue?" I raised an eyebrow at the girls, because obviously it was a muggle thing.

"Well..." Elaine shared a look with Lily. "I guess that would be okay, as long as it's vague." She reminded me, and I shrugged, before rolling over onto my back to stare at the ceiling for a minute before I started speaking.

"Mia's going to Hogwarts this year, you know." I felt their eyes widen, but at that very moment, probably because of it, actually, my father switched lights in the living room out.

"Goodnight guys." He called, and we all replied.

No one said anything, but after a few seconds, I felt Elaine wriggle closer to me, resting her head on my chest.

"I'm sure she'll be fine. She might even be a Gryffindor, like you." I smiled briefly, before it slipped away, knowing that it was almost certainly not going to come true, and wrapped my arms around her, pulling her closer.

I was just glad she hadn't told Lily about the kiss, to be honest. Or brought it up, for that matter. Talk about awkward.

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(A/N): See? Really, really bad.


	105. Morning Blush

(A/N): Hey Guys! So, I know I haven't updated in a while, but I've been really busy with my NaNoWriMo work. Almost 40,000 words though, so soon, I won't have to worry about it. I hope you enjoy this chapter, it's really fluffy Eleo stuff again.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Leo, Elaine, Shari, Nicholai, Brooke, Mia and Quiggly.

* * *

Elaine

The mood the next morning was considerably more joyous than it had been the previous night, probably because it was no longer Leo's birthday, and he was back to his weirdo self.

"France!" Everyone turned their heads to stare at him, startled by his outburst, but he merely smirked and shrugged innocently.

"If you're going to keep doing that, I'm going to gag you." Shari threatened, pointing a finger in his face, one eyebrow raised as if to challenge him to do it again. "And don't think I won't!" She scolded, before walking back into the kitchen, and I had to hold back a laugh as Leo ran a hand through his hair, making it stand up on end.

"Shut up." He muttered, trying to smooth his hair down, before giving up after a few seconds, leaving it half in the air.

"Ugh, here, let me fix it." I sighed, giving in to my OCD tendencies, reaching up and starting to pat down his hair, which, as I soon found, hated being told what to do almost as much as he did. "Merlin, how do you style this?" He shrugged, shooting me a half-smile while I fussed with his hair.

"Lots, and I mean _lots_, of water, and a comb. From there, it dries and just..." He made a vague hand gesture, his face twisting up in an adorable way, and I stared at him for a second, biting my lip, before I shook my head.

"Still better than James's." I muttered, and he chuckled quietly, reminding me, yet again, that he could hear just about everything.

"Yeah, but somehow even Sirius manages his hair better than James's." He replied, and I bit my lip again, this time to stop me from laughing.

"You should see Lily get her hair ready in the morning. She wakes up so early, and then showers, puts her hair a ponytail, dries it, brings it out of the ponytail..." I continued for a few minutes, rambling about Lily's morning hair routine, which often include some really bad dancing (or perhaps it was yoga...?), and Leo just nodded, listening and occasionally laughed.

"Wow, that's almost more than Remmy does." I glanced over at Remus, who was on the other side of the room, currently shovelling chocolate into his mouth, and I noticed his hair _was_ looking really dishevelled today.

"What do you mean?" I asked anyway, still confused, and he shrugged lightly.

"Well..." He glanced at Remus. "It'll embarrass him." His eyes lit up. "On the other hand...it will embarrass him!" He launched into a tale of Moony's morning routine, knowing he could tell me without it being leaked to the entire school, unlike if he had told Lily, and by the end of it, I was reduced to the ground in fits of laughter.

They others were staring at me, but Leo waved them off, laughing himself, albeit quieter, and I stared up at him, still quaking with laughter, examining the wonder that was Leonides Judas Joannis.

His eyes were such a bright blue that they put even Lily's vibrant green to shame, his hair shining golden in the early morning light, still sticking up slightly despite my best efforts, his skin so pale it was like porcelain, though she could see the scars dotting the skin. Finally, she moved her gaze to his plump lips.

_They were very soft_, she mused, before blushing bright red as she realised exactly what she had just thought. They had only kissed once, accidentally, and here she was thinking things like this?

...

Although, it was a good kiss, even it was accidental. It was warm, soft and kind of awkward, just like him.

My stomach tingled, twisting together in a pleasant, and he smiled at me as he glanced at me, before looking back to Lily, who he had started up a conversation with while I was preoccupied.

"So then the pancake said..." I tuned out again, shaking my head at the loopiness that was early morning conversations with Leo.

These thoughts I had about him...I would keep them to myself, like the observations I made. Everything he did, those little quirks he had, and they all pieced together and made him, along with his not so small qualities.

He was perfect though, in my eyes at least, and I pushed myself upright, so I was sitting properly, no longer laughing, though my lips were moulded into a small, amused smile.

I glanced around the table, watching the others as they laughed at whatever joke Leo was now making, James and Sirius currently engaged in a fight that consisted mainly of shoving, Remus shaking his head at their antics while he kept his eyes trained on Leo.

Suddenly, he moved his gaze to me, and smiled slightly as our eyes locked, jerking his head in Leo's direction as the boy in question grinned widely.

"He looks happy, doesn't he?" Moony mouthed, and I glanced at Leo again, fondly.

"Yeah. He does." I mouthed back, keeping my eyes fixed on Leo like Remus had been doing only moments before, and I saw him smirk, something rare for him, out the corner of my, and I blushed slightly but ignored him.

Who cares if he was my best friend? He was Leo, and to me, he was perfection personified, no matter what he had to say about himself.

He glanced at me again, before he noticed me staring at him, and turned his head as he glanced again, this time his eyes staying on me as he returned my tender smile, and for a minute or two, we just stayed like that, conversation resuming around us as the others tried to give us our space now that they were actively trying to get us together.

I blushed slightly at the thought, and Leo turned his head back so he was facing Lily, much to my disappointment, and everyone else's, before his hand grasped mine under the table, and my blush increased, the smile on my lips blooming into a full-on goofy grin.

My hand fit in his perfectly, and I blushed even harder at the thought that, perhaps, they had been made for each other.

I had a serious crush on him, I knew that, and he was holding my hand, my heart racing, thumping against my chest, and I would have blushed brighter, but I don't think that it was possible, as I realised that there was no way he couldn't hear it pounding.

He knew, and yet he did nothing about it. He gave no sign he had even heard it!

Was he trying to torture me or something?

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(A/N): Thanks for all the reviews, favourites and follows!


	106. At War With Ones Self

(A/N): Hey Guys! So, I know I haven't updated in ages, but I was hella busy with NaNoWriMo, and then in the days after that, I was really busy with relaxing, school work, and the fact that I seriously couldn't write any time I thought of this story, sorry.

So, this chapter is dedicated to my friend Matt, who is now reading this story as a way to keep entertained during the holidays. Hope you've liked it so far!

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Leo, Elaine, Shari, Nicholai, Brooke and Mia.

* * *

Leo

A few hours later, it was time for the group of young teens to leave again, and to say the least, I wasn't exactly ecstatic about it. After all, not only were they my best and only friends, but I knew that, as soon as they left, it would be back to training.

I mean, training was half a blessing, and half a curse. I brought the training on myself, and wanted to train as hard as I could, not just to save my own ass, but to be able to help the others, besides, I _had_ to become an animagus, otherwise I couldn't help Remus, and there was no way I was backing out on that.

On the other hand, training was hard work. It was pretty much exercising, _constantly._ It was repetitive, and it was killing me. Sure, I was tired from it, but what was really killing me, was how bored it was making me. I was itching to pull a Marauders, and prank someone, but the only people I could prank around here were sure to kick my ass if I did so, so that was definitely out of the question.

Of course, they were going to kick my ass throughout the course of the day anyway.

"All right son, you're almost getting it!" My father called as encouragement as Shari took me to the ground, foot planted flat against my chest as a way of keeping me down, and out of action. I _wasn't_ almost getting it.

I was getting the shit beaten out of me, and there was nothing I could do about it. After all, I had asked for this, hadn't I?

After a few seconds of having me pinned, probably extremely satisfying to her, seeing how annoying I had been around her lately, Shari helped me from the ground, and she switched out with my father.

"All right Leo!" Shari shouted, but I gritted my teeth, clenching my jaw tightly as my eyes narrowed, irritation welling up as frustration started to burn inside my chest.

I was embarrassed, and sick of being humiliated. I had been taken down at least a dozen times since the group had left, about an hour, and I hated it.

This time though...

I got my ass handed to me with force.

"Oof!" I grunted as I hit the ground, shoulder first, squeezing my eyes shut for a second or two before opening them and rising to my feet, rolling my shoulder to try and remove the soreness that had befallen the area. "Again." My father looked at me, as if unsure, but I nodded to him slightly, showing that I could handle it, even after such a fall.

"Shari?" Shari stepped up to where my father had been, switching spots yet again, and she cracked her knuckles menacingly, which would make a normal person flinch, but me only smirk a little.

Without a seconds warning, she came barrelling at me, and instantly, without even a thought, I engaged sensory-alert. Everything slowed down, and I could see exactly what she was doing.

Not even glancing down, just staring at her fully, I saw her glance to my left side, which I had left open purposely, her foot inch in that direction, and she was only two feet away now.

As she raised her leg, ready to kick me in the stomach, and I twisted to the right, narrowly avoiding her foot until I arrived behind her, stomping my foot out, into the small of her back, sending her stumbling towards the ground.

As her palms and knees hit the ground, she knew, from experience and common sense, what was coming, and tried to roll out of the way, but I pinned her to the ground, my foot pressed into her stomach as she now lay on her back in the middle of the clearing we had made, her clothes dusted with dirt and pine needles.

She writhed, her pride not yet letting her give up, but ultimately; she remained on the ground, pinned under the weight of my foot.

"Good job, Leo." The words sounded sincere, but the tone her used told me that he was worried. After all, he was my father; I had know him my whole life...well, since I was seven, anyway.

"What's-?" He cut me off, shaking his head and gesturing towards the house, a sign that he wanted me to shut up, and go inside.

I was a little confused, but I did as he said, using vampire speed to do so, heading straight to the bathroom.

I don't know why I headed there; it just seemed like a natural place for me to go. It was cooler in there, and I headed towards the bathtub, ready to sit down on the edge of it, before I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror.

It startled me because, after all, this was only the second time, and the first time properly, that I had seen myself in Sensory alert mode.

My skin was colourless, my eyes such a dark blue they were almost black, and when I lifted a hand, pulling back my lips to show my teeth, both my nails and my teeth were sharper than usual. Even without the intimidating, dominative stance I usually bore while in sensory alert, I was utterly terrifying, even to myself.

Was this how others saw me? Was this why they were so scared?

I sat down on the floor, hard, gripping either wrist in the opposite hand as I bit my lip, blinking as I honed my hearing so I could try to hear Shari and my fathers' conversation.

The only problem was, they were full vampires.

They could talk much quieter, and faster, and could hear much better. They were prepared, knowing that I would try to listen into any conversation that was obviously about me, and that I couldn't hear a conversation between two full-vamps...yet.

My abilities as a half-vampire were developing quickly, quicker than anyone had expected, even I knew that, and it worried me, even though I knew the cause. It was because of my veela genes, but I was mainly worried that with my abilities developing, that so would my desire for human blood.

I sighed deeply, using vampire speed to leave the bathroom, and find my way to my bed.

Not exactly what it was meant for, and it was probably abusing the power, but at that moment I didn't particularly care. I collapsed into my bed, burying my face in the pillow and pulling the covers up around me before quickly fading into unconsciousness.

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(A/N): So, what did you guys think? This chapter was supposed to be something completely different to begin with, but this turned out okay, actually.


	107. Surprise Visitor

(A/N): Hey Guys! So, short chapter, but it's important, and leads up to a lot. I hope you enjoy it!

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Leo, Elaine, Shari, Mia, Nicholai and Brooke.

* * *

Elaine

It was a strange feeling, that of being watched. Unusual, like someone's fingers were dangling just a few millimetres above your skin, the heat of their eyes upon you almost too much.

What was really freaking me out though, was the fact that I thought I was alone.

I was seated on one of the swings in my backyard, faced the forest that edged the clearing that the swing-set was in, just behind my house, and stared, wide-eyed, into its depths.

I couldn't see anything, especially anything that could be watching me, but I couldn't shake that feeling.

"Leo?" I tried quietly, knowing that the only person who could escape my notice would be him, what with his super-human knack for blending in with his surroundings. Either way, he would hear me.

A twig snapped somewhere nearby, and I smiled slightly, knowing he had stepped on it purposely, so I wouldn't be startled when he emerged from the tree line.

It was almost pitch black, with only a sliver of the moon able to light the ground below, so all I saw of him was the dark outline, barely a shadow.

I released the chains that held my swig secure, rising to my feet as I faced the figure, beaming.

"It's not even been a day," I informed him, smirking as he advanced towards me. "Were you missing me already?" He continued towards me without saying a word, and when he was halfway across the yard, still coming towards me, only twenty or so feet away, I notice something I hadn't before.

Leo was tall, but he wasn't that tall.

The smirk fell from my face, leaving it bare and full of terror as I started to back away.

"Who-?" I was cut off as, in a split-second, the man had me pinned, a foot above the ground, to the side of my own house. "Who are you?!" I cried, mostly out of surprise, when a face loomed before mine, still mostly invisible.

"Me?" The man asked, as if a little hurt that I didn't know who he was. "I'm just someone who wants to settle a score, girly." My blood boiled as he called me that, hating to sound weak before I realised that, when compared to him, I was very, very weak.

It was obvious, by this point, that he wasn't human. In fact, judging by his speed and strength...he was a vampire, like Leo.

Internally, I rephrased it.

No, Leo was a half-vampire...this guy would be much stronger than Leo could ever be.

And that left me in a lot of trouble.

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(A/N): So, what did you think? Cliffhanger, sort of.


	108. Injury Sminjury

(A/N): Hey Guys! So, I'm kind of giving you what you asked for in the reviews...kind of. Plus, resolving that cliffhanger!

* * *

Leo

I don't know how I knew, but I did.

Elaine was in trouble.

Perhaps it was because I had somehow managed to fall asleep in Sensory Alert still, or maybe it was just intuition, but my eyes shot open, my body upright instantly almost of its own accord, and I was out the front door before my brain could even recognise what I was feeling.

I think it was the smell that alerted me, honestly. I was keeping tabs into all those in our group, trying to keep track of them and make sure they were safe, what with how often they got into trouble, and I felt the terror burn its way through her veins, like acid.

I was already on my way there, using vampire speed, but I focused harder, honing my hearing so it was sharper, and my sight converting so that I could feel, and therefore, see, the blood pumping through her veins.

"Who are you?!" I heard her cry, and I had to blink back sudden tears at the terror that was evident in her voice.

"Me?" A second voice? Who else was there? "I'm just someone who wants to settle a score, girly." I could hear two voices, but could only _see_ one person. Elaine was not going to like being called 'girly'.

My blood froze, and my eyes widened as I realised exactly what he, this other person, definitely male, was.

I took a deep breath, scenting the air just to make sure of my hunch, and I knew I was correct when I recognised the familiar stench of a full-vampire.

Elaine really was in danger.

Serious danger.

This thought only made me speed up even more, if that was even possible at this point, and I blinked as I realised the futility of my plan. I was still a minute or two away, and I stopped breathing, eyes wide with horror as I smelt the tangy sweet smell of Elaine's blood, more obvious than normal as it was spilt.

My eyes narrowed, fixed in a glare now as my teeth gritted together, and I forced all thoughts of ripping his throat out with them to the back of my mind, wanting to save Elaine first.

I blew into the clearing that made up Elaine's backyard, my eyes locking onto the back of the vampire, his head only starting to turn towards me, preoccupied as he had been by the taste of Elaine's blood.

I gripped him around the waist with one arm, tackling to the ground before pinning him there.

"What are you doing here?" I hissed low, too low for Elaine to hear, though I doubt she had even noticed that her would-be attacker was gone, what with the speed I had grabbed him.

"I'm just having some fun, Leonides." A familiar voice growled back, and I knew exactly who I was dealing with.

"Leo?" Elaine asked cautiously, not quite sure, I could tell, that it was really me.

"Yep." I replied shortly, my eyes still focused on the man I had pinned as I tried not to breathe in the scent of her blood.

"Jonothan." I stated under my breath, and he nodded with a grimace on his lip.

"Leonides." He reiterated. "You know, the other don't like you very much." The others. He was talking about the other vampires.

"I figured." I muttered, rising to my feet as I shoved him away, now standing also, putting my body between him and Elaine.

Elaine seemed to understand that it would be wise for her to stay quiet, as she didn't make even a peep, though I could tell that her eyes were darting between Jonothan and I.

"Leave." He raised an eyebrow, the smirk dropping from his face, now completely serious. "Now." I growled, and he glanced at Elaine over my shoulder before charging at the both of us.

I slammed my shoulder into his chest, his own momentum sending him flying back a few feet, landing flat on his back, and I felt Elaine raise an eyebrow.

"And _don't_ come back. You have qualms with me, not her." He nodded, now back on his feet, not taking his eyes off of me, and a few seconds later, using vampire speed, he was gone.

"Come on." I stated quietly, breaking the silence that had fallen over the two of us. "You need to get cleaned up." Despite the removal of the threat, she was still terrified, her hands shaking, and I placed a hand on her lower back before leading her inside, and to their bathroom.

"We'll need to wash this." I informed her, my voice as blank as possible as well as my face, not wanting to give away what I was feeling. I glanced at her lips, trying to figure it out.

Had he made her drink? I hadn't heard it, but that doesn't mean anything.

To become a vampire, you have to have a vampire drink from you, and then you have to drink their blood, it's a whole big sucking thing, and basically, they're just going to kill you.

But either result would be bad for Elaine, and for me.

"Open your mouth." She opened it without question, but her gaze turned confused after a few seconds, having realised, on a conscious level, what I had asked.

I put a hand on either side of her face, keeping her head in place as I examined her mouth, dropping it and sighing a deep breath of relief as I saw no signs of vampire blood.

"We'll still need to wash it." With that, I tapped her chin, letting her know she could close her mouth, before reaching out to retrieve the washcloth resting on the tap.

I wet it with water from their basin, before dabbing at the wound on her neck gently, trying not to hurt her as much as I could, though she winced anyway.

"Now who's the pussy?" She murmured, and I chuckled under my breath, trying to take in as little breath as physically possible.

"Not you. I'll need some gauze..." I trailed off, starting to search the cupboards under their sink for anything I could use to bandage her teeth-lined wound. "Aha!" I exclaimed quietly, having found the gauze, using some scissors to cut off a square big enough to cover her newly acquired injury, before securing it in place with some tape.

"There, good as new." I joked, trying to break the tension, but she simply stared at me.

"Leo, I have a question, and you have to answer it honestly." I blinked, staring at her, gulping once, nervous about what her question would be.

"Okay." I acknowledged quietly, still staring her directly in the eyes, trying to gauge what she was going to say before she said it.

"Am I going to turn into a vampire because of this?" It reminded me of Lily's question after I had been bitten by Remus while protecting her on the full moon last year, and was, for all intents and purposes, much on the same subject.

"No." Was all I said, and I could feel her eyes on me still as I dropped my head to stare at the floor. "To become a vampire, they have to drink from you, and you have to drink from them." I explained, and she nodded dumbly.

"Come on, let's get you to bed." I stated suddenly, pulling her to her feet as gently as possible, as if I were afraid of hurting her, which I was, as I saw her yawn widely.

"But I don't want to-" She started to struggle, and I rolled my eyes before scooping her into my arms, bridal style, and carried her to her bedroom, depositing her in the bed before throwing the covers over her lightly, looking down at her.

"Sleep." I ordered softly, pointing a finger at her before exiting the room using vampire speed, closing the door behind me softly.

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(A/N): Yeah, one of the lines in here is a quote from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and the whole way of turning into a vampire thing is from there too.

So, what did you think?


	109. Good Morning Sunshine

(A/N): Hey Guys! So, three chapters in one day, woohoo!

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Leo, Elaine, Shari, Nicholai, Brooke, Mia and Jonothan.

* * *

Leo

I spent the whole night there, wide awake the entire time, just in case Jonothan, or others, came back for Elaine, thinking I had left.

They didn't, but I wasn't going to trust their word, and leave, only to have put Elaine, and her family, in danger.

I checked in on the others, as well as I could, just to make sure that they weren't facing the same treatment Elaine had, but they were all safe, snug in their beds.

I thanked whatever gods may exist that they were safe, and stayed on the swing outside the Folley family house until Elaine emerged, early the next morning.

"You stayed all night?" She sounded shocked, but she shouldn't have been. I would have stayed all year, if it would keep her safe.

After all, she was my best friend.

"Of course I did." I stated, not even turning to face her as I kept my gaze fixed on the trees ahead of me.

"Leo..." I shook my head and she fell silent, knowing that I didn't want to talk about it. "Thank you." She finished anyway, wrapping her arms around my chest from behind, her arms under mine, her chin resting atop my head for once, as she was finally in a position where she was tall enough to do so.

"I'm sorry." I could feel her confusion, so I explained. "For all of...this." She understood that I was talking about what had happened the previous night with Jonothan, and she shrugged.

"It's nothing-" I cut her off, turning to stare at her with wide eyes.

"It isn't nothing!" I exclaimed and stood, rounding the swing-set until I was standing in front of her. "If I hadn't gotten here so quickly, he would have killed you, I know he would have." She raised an eyebrow, as if she were challenging me.

"And how do you know that?" I rolled my eyes, crossing my arms over my chest as I cursed her naivety when it came to these sorts of things.

"Because I know him!" Both of her eyebrows shot up now, and I realised my mistake. "Them. I know _them_." By the look on her face, I knew she wasn't buying it.

After all, she wasn't exactly stupid enough to believe such an obvious cover-up.

"Of course you do." She replied sarcastically, rolling her eyes at me before fixing me with a stern look. "Who was that guy, anyway?" For a second, I was confused, before I realised that any conversation Jonothan and I had was held too low for Elaine to hear properly, or, well, at all.

"Jonothan. He's an old..._friend_." I spat the word, and she could tell that he was anything but.

"Ah...So, what is he really?" I raised an eyebrow at her, a small yet amused smile gracing my lips at how easily she saw right through me.

"I met him a few years back through my father...he's my uncle." Elaine raised an eyebrow, glancing in the direction of the forest, as if she were watching him go all over again.

"But...he looks much younger than your dad." I nodded, not taking my eyes away from her, but keeping my ears open for any signs that he was coming back to finish the job.

"Yeah...he's actually older. He was turned years before dad though, so..." I trailed off, shaking my head before chuckling lightly at the absurdity of our conversation. "Could we talk about something else, please? _Anything _else?" Elaine gave me a sympathetic smile, punching me in the shoulder lightly.

"Sure, like what?" I thought about it for a second before shaking my head.

"I don't actually know." I whispered, rubbing the sleep from my eyes before lifting my head again as I heard Jaygar, Elaine's brother, leave his room. "Your brothers getting up anyway, I should leave." She looked like she wanted to stop me, one arm outstretched, before she dropped it, and nodded sadly.

"Bye, Leo." I smiled at her gently in response before taking off into the forest using vampire speed.

"Goodbye Elaine." I whispered, heading towards home.

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(A/N): So, what did you think?


	110. Scratches On A Window Pane

(A/N): Hey Guys! So, I'm back, and it's the Christmas holidays now anyway, so I should be updating more, but, knowing me, I probably won't be.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Leo, Elaine, Shari, Nicholai, Brooke, Mia and Jonothan.

* * *

Elaine

I sat on one of the chairs at the kitchen table, knees pressed into my chest, my arms curled around them as my chin rested atop. My fingers were just barely visible past the end of my sleeves, seeing as I had rushed to put on a turtleneck in order to hide my newly acquired wound.

After all, I couldn't have jay or my mother seeing this, right? They'd freak out, and ask me questions that I couldn't answer.

...

It stung like a bitch though, not to mention how itchy it was.

I raised my arm, scratching at the outside of the gauze covering it with my fingertips, having pulled back the neck of the shirt to do so.

"Aren't you hot?" Jay asked, having finally glanced up at me from the other side of the table, where he had been busy scarfing down any food he could find.

It was, after all, summer, and I was sitting in the middle of the kitchen wearing a turtleneck and a pair of shorts, he was right to be suspicious, but god I wish he wasn't.

"Not really." It was a blatant lie, and I made myself act busy so he wouldn't question the fact that I didn't look him in the eye when I spoke to him.

He didn't seem completely convinced, but shrugged and returned to his heaped plate of food nonetheless, leaving me to fidget with the heat that was blooming on the side of my neck where the wound was.

"I'll be back." I breathed, leaping out of my kitchen chair and racing to the bathroom, tugging the turtleneck away from my flushed skin, pulling it over my head to reveal my skin, gleaming with sweat, and the piece of gauze taped to my neck, where a small amount of blood had seeped through during the night.

Carefully, I peeled back the tape, and lifted the gauze until the wound was in view, where I saw that it was already half-healed, and that if I stared at it for long enough, I could actually see my skin knitting itself back together.

Suddenly though, I heard a gasp behind me, my eyes moving from my newfound, healing wound, to lock with Jay's in the mirror.

"Jay..." I whispered, and he spun on his heel, running away, leaving the door ajar, just as it had been before he had peered through it. "Jay!" I yelled, trying to keep up with his much longer legs as he fled through the house, and out into the backyard, where he collapsed on the ground, curling into a ball, actually sobbing.

"Jay...?" I questioned quietly, approaching him carefully, before placing a hand on his shoulder lightly.

"What happened?" He sobbed demandingly, lifting his head to stare at my wound, his eyes not meeting mine, which stung almost more than the actual injury.

"It was an accident." His eyes hardened, and he wobbled to his feet with amazing speed, glaring me down.

"Don't give me that! You're _hurt, _Izzy, who did it?!" He practically shouting in my face, and I stared up at him, mouth hanging open, and managed to finally shake my head, tears springing to my eyes as I clenched my jaw shut, trying to remain strong.

"I am _fine_." I growled, trying to reassure him, while trying to reassure myself, seeing as I _knew_ that it wasn't true. I had been attacked last night, and I couldn't even tell my own brother the truth about what had happened.

"Was it that Leo boy?!" Jay yelled, and my eyebrows shot up before my gaze instantly turned rock-hard and fiery.

"Leo would never do that! _Never!_" I screamed in his face, teeth grinding together before I turned, and stormed back inside the house, tears streaming furiously now.

I couldn't believe that Jay, of all people, would say such a thing.

Leo would never, ever hurt me, especially like this, and I know Jay is concerned about me, but...

"Augh!" I screamed, slamming my fists against the wall in my bedroom, before collapsing onto the bed, burying my face in the pillow.

"You know," A sudden new voice startled me, and I jolted upwards until I was sitting, and turned in the complete opposite direction, facing the person from who the voice came from. "Leo would hurt you if it meant you'd survive." I rolled my eyes, attempting to wipe the tears away, embarrassed.

"Probably, Shari." I admitted. After all, Leo seemed to think that everyone's life was something to put over his own wellbeing, and it irritated me greatly that he could give up everything he believed in so easily if it meant that someone he cared about would live, even if he didn't.

"He's stubborn, and reckless." She hissed, looking particularly annoyed, but also as if she was focusing on something else at the same time.

"But brave." I whispered, and her gaze flicked to me before her lips twitched up slightly.

"He's a Gryffindor to the core, really." I nodded, smirking slightly, though I could feel that my eyes were red and puffy from the tears I had been shedding just a few seconds prior.

"How'd you get in here, anyway?" The second I said it, I knew it was a stupid question. I mean, she was a vampire. If Leo could get in here undetected, then Shari most definitely could.

"The window." She gestured to the window with an upraised thumb, smiling slightly, knowing that the answer was almost completely unnecessary now that I had realised exactly who was standing- well, sitting- in front of me.

Perched on the edge of my dresser, it amazed me at just how graceful she was, even sitting still. She looked lithe, able to kill you within milliseconds, I knew, but she mostly likely wouldn't, unless you were threatening someone she loved.

You miss with her cubs, and she'll come after you like a mother bear, ready to tear you from limb to limb and then drink your blood.

...

Too morbid?

Well, to be honest, it was the complete truth, and you know it.

She's a vampire, not a bear, but she'd still react much the same.

Vicious, protective, able to kill you without a thought, and very hard to kill if you didn't have the right weapon.

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(A/N): So, what did you think?


	111. Memoirs of a Vampire

(A/N): Hey Guys! Sorry for not updating in so long, I've been having trouble with my writing as you all know, but I'm really trying to work on that.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Leo, Elaine, Shari, Nicholai, Brooke, Mia and Jonothan.

* * *

Shari

After the attack on Elaine and her family, Leo asked, practically pleaded, with me and his father to take watches, and keep them safe until the threat was over.

I secretly agreed that, after such an attack on an innocent party, we were to get involved. Nicholai, he was mostly worried about his son, but that streak of moral justice struck through him to the core, and he made me promise, though my mind was already decided, to help.

To protect the family of the human girl Leo seemed to rely on so heavily.

I had, of course, spoken to her before. At Christmas, or at Leo's birthday party, we had spoken briefly each time, but this night was the first night where I really got to talk to her, to get to know her. And I realised exactly why Leo couldn't leave her alone.

He needed her.

He needed that human touch that she gave him, that sweet and moral dilemma that made him come running back to her no matter what had happened, no matter the situation, because he loved her.

Hell, I loved her as well, but it was more the idea of her that I loved.

She was...well, human.

After being a vampire for decades on end, things get a little bit...stale, and its hard to remember exactly what it's like to be human, to have to stay with the same people, day after day, to have to please them instead of just being a loner and killing them or leaving them behind.

As a vampire, you never really have to appease anyone. If a vampire doesn't like you, it doesn't really matter. What should it matter, anyway? Not everyone is going to like you, this is true even with humans. So why not just let it go? Let them hate you if they want to.

The biggest problem, I find, with being a vampire, is the way you lose track of your moral code.

You kill others so you can survive, no persons soul is going to remain intact after all of that! Leo though...he didn't have to kill to survive. Well, he didn't have to kill humans.

And I guess that's why he's still just this...beacon of light, kind of.

Like a lighthouse in a harbour is to a ship, he is to me.

He keeps me on track, steers me away from the jagged rocks which are, in this scenario, evil doings, and to safety.

He makes sure I don't lose myself along the way.

Nicholai...he always worries about how Leo is going to turn out, for as long as the kids been alive, and I guess I could see his point...you know, if it wasn't obvious that Leo wasn't going to fall into the hands of evil with his strong beliefs.

Nicholai himself, he doesn't see how Leo could be good in any way, having him as a father, but I saw right from the start, that Leo was going to be a good person, and you want to know how? Because of Nicholai.

Nicholai, even though a vampire without an anchor for almost two hundred and fifty years, has remained intact, he's never swayed into the path of, 'drink, kill, destroy'.

If there ever was a vampire as pure as the driven snow, it's Nicholai.

Of course, he kills just like the rest of us, for survival, but never for fun, or sport.

He has no need for it, he occupies himself with various studies.

I remember when I met him, seventy something years ago, and I was stunned at how human he appeared. I knew what he was, of course. I could smell him from a mile away! But Nicholai, he's no Slytherin, though at the time I had very little clue as to what a Slytherin was, he's no Gryffindor either. He isn't reckless. He's loyal, but he's no Hufflepuff. His thirst for knowledge, and his natural-born creativity- that's what made the hat sort him into Ravenclaw.

I doubt he would have fit in properly in any other house, from what I've been told of them, and it really was a shame that he was turned.

I believe, fully, that if Nicholai hadn't been turned, things would not only be different, but he would have changed history. As it is though...I'm glad I got to meet him, as I obviously wouldn't have if he hadn't been turned, and I'm glad he fathered Leo, but being a vampire has its downsides if you're wanting to change the world in any way.

We're looked down upon, as filth and dangerous beasts, but as Leo said, we all have souls, some of us just don't know when to use them.

And I think, overall, that's the reason I liked Elaine so much.

She had suffered through much, and yet she was still optimistic. She could kick butt, yet she was compassionate. She was everything I wanted to be, but never had the chance to. And I saw why Leo liked her so much.

She cared about him, deeply, and I knew, when it came right down to it, that he would give his life for hers because, as a vampire, and immortal, she gives off this aura that just screams, 'protect me!' If I were human, I doubt I'd be getting that same signal.

In fact, I'd like to bet that I'd be receiving the same feeling most humans get around vampires, 'run, danger!'

Because this girl was not to be messed with by humans, and now, with two full vampires and a very strong half-vampire on her side, she wasn't to be messed with by anything else either.

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(A/N): So, what did you think?

Thanks for all the reviews guys, I love you all!


	112. The Pain of Realisation

(A/N): Hey Guys! So, I know I haven't updated this story in a while, so, Happy New Years!

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Leo, Elaine, Nicholai, Shari, Brooke, Mia and Jonothan.

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Elaine

It had been a week since I had been attacked by Jonothan, and Leo, Shari and Mr Ellwood had been taking watches in turn to make sure that my family and I weren't left in danger.

The threat was almost certainly gone by now, but even without knowing what had happened, my brother, Jaygar, was still suspicious of one person in particular: Leo.

Even though Leo had actually been the one to save my life, I couldn't exactly tell Jay that, now could I?

Every time I mentioned Leo, or even one of our other friends, he gave me a dirty, distrusting look, that never failed to make me wince. Did he really believe that Leo could do something like...this? Well, I guess he could, but he wouldn't, no way in hell.

Unless I was in mortal danger and it was the only way out... I cringed, imagining, for a second, that it had been Leo who had cut open my throat with jagged fangs, suckling at the blood, leaving me with a stinging throb that rang through my whole body.

It had stayed with me for the first few days, but by now it was almost completely gone, only a slight headache in the place of the pain.

But...you know how, after you find something new out about a person that it dawns on you, suddenly and in snippets, why they did something or how they reacted to something?

Well, it dawned on me, just as I was about to take a shower, that Leo was outside my house right now, and not only could he have heard every single bad thing Jay had said about him over the past few days, he could probably _see_ me, right now, using his blood sensor, and that made my cheeks flush.

"What's the matter?" A voice asked, and I jumped slightly, my eyes fluttering closed for a second as fear jolted through my veins before I recognised the voice.

"Nothing Leo, it's nothing." I whispered, drawing my bathrobe closer to myself before turning to face him as he leaned through the bathroom window, blue, blue eyes fully focused on my face.

"Are you sure?" He asked hesitantly, observing the blush still staining my cheeks, and I bit my lip as I nodded quickly.

"Yes, now get out, I need to shower!" I hissed quietly, and he chuckled before disappearing from the open window, which I raced to pull closed, scanning the ground outside for him, only to find nothing.

I moved away from the window, pushing off my robe, leaving me in only my undergarments before turning the shower on hot.

After holding my hand under the water for a few minutes, I shed my remaining clothes and moved into the path of the jet.

The hot water coursed down my back, and I squeezed some shampoo into my hand, moving to place it in my hair before I was shocked into dropping it as I heard the dull thud of something heavy hitting the bathroom window.

As my head snapped up, my eyes widened at the sight of something pressed up against the window, which, by the colour, appeared to be the back of Leo's shirt, held fast by something, or someone.

I didn't turn off the shower, not wanting to alert them that I knew, even though they most likely already did, and quickly reached for my bath robe, pulling it on and tying it quickly before moving slowly, cautiously over to the window, trying to hear what was being said.

I paused, about a foot away and off to the side, my view blocked by Leo's back, pressed firm as it was against the glass.

Then for a split second, a sliver of light shone through, before it disappeared again, and the window shattered with the force of Leo being shoved, rather roughly, through it.

"Leo!" I exclaimed quietly, worried but not quite wanting my brother, or mother to know that he was here, even though I could already hear them pushing their chairs back in the kitchen, probably on their way up here.

"Ugh..." He groaned, and I noticed the red staining his shirt, a stain growing bigger as I also saw the large shard of glass sticking out from his side.

"Leo..." I whispered, and his eyes found mine before he pushed himself to his feet.

"I'll be fine." He groaned, before staggering over to the window and jumping out once again.

"Elaine! Izzy! Izzy!" I recognised my brother's voice, filled with terror as he banged a fist on the bathroom door, the knob jiggling as he obviously tried to wrench it open at the same time.

"I-" My voice shook, and I fought to control myself even as my body did the same. "I'm fine!" There was a moment of silence filled with, I could tell, disbelief. "I threw something and hit the window by mistake!" It was a bad lie, I knew it, considering there was blood, Leo's blood, splattering the tiled floor, and I felt sick to my stomach that he had gotten hurt because of me. With quick thinking, I grabbed my bath towel and mopped up the blood as best I could, before throwing it into the still running shower, where tendrils of muddy red flowed down the drain.

"Izzy..." Jay murmured through the door, and I winced.

"I'm fine Jay, don't worry." He was going to worry either way, I knew that, just like how I was going to worry about Leo now that I had seen him with a great big shard of glass sticking out of his side.

He could die, and yet he had still gotten up, still went to defend me and my family, and Jay had the nerve to accuse him of trying to hurt me? It was just so...it was all so _wrong_!

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(A/N): What did you think?


	113. Monsters

(A/N): Hey Guys! Sorry for not updating in ages, but my muse is still in friggin' Florida, and I've been having some problems, so here it is!

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Leo

I winced as my feet hit the ground again, staggering a foot or two before reaching up to yank the glace shard from my side with a pained gasp.

Blood stained through my shirt, and I blinked, gaping slightly at the injury, before returning my gaze to the vampires ahead of me.

Only two, but I could barely take Jonothan, let alone his lady friend.

I forced myself to concentrate, my vision blurred slightly as I swayed, fighting to stay on my feet, and I heard footsteps approaching at a quick clip, two sets, Shari and my father.

Not too far away, but enough for me to have reason to worry.

If these two got past me, Elaine and her family were done for.

I drew in a deep, shuddering breath before forcing myself to stand erect, staring them down once again.

"You shouldn't be here." I growled, and I didn't even delude myself into thinking that I looked remotely scary, especially to them. "Never come back here again." Jonothan's lady friend smirk.

"And why would we do that?" Right at that moment, something, or someone, smacked into Jonothan with force, sending them both crashing into the forest, narrowly avoiding trees most of the time, others breaking with a resounding snap, but never falling.

The woman vampire was blocked from my view by Shari's back as she crouched defensively in front of me.

She was the classic vampire: long, jet black hair, skin as pale as the driven snow, and eyes so dark you couldn't distinguish the difference between iris and pupil.

And I knew just how dangerous she could be, considering that she had been the one to shove me through the window.

"Lisbet..." Shari growled, and I raised an eyebrow, barely managing to stay on my feet from blood loss.

"Shari." The woman, Lisbet, greeted teasingly, the smirk still gracing her lips. She disappeared for a second, too fast for even me to see, before she reappeared maybe a foot from me, where Shari had just been standing, lifting me off the ground by the hand squeezing at my throat.

I heard a dull thud, and from the corner of my eye, I could see that it had been Shari landing on the ground a few yards away, before the pressure released my throat and I was soaring through the air, before I, too, hit the ground.

Dots appeared in my vision, and it was hard for me to see, let alone keep my eyes open, and I saw Lisbet kneel over me before something sharp cut into my neck.

"Leo!" I heard my father scream, only to be echoed by Shari, slightly closer but still all too far away as I felt my neck begin to sting and sear with pain, the most intense I have ever felt.

"Ah!" I cried out, trying to squirm away, but Lisbet had both my wrists pinned, one of her lower legs pressed across my thighs. "Ah!" The last thing I saw before I passed out was the blue sky, peaking through the tree canopy high above me.

I woke up an indiscernible amount of time later to the dull throb of pain in the side of my neck, and I tried to jolt upright into a sitting position, only to be pushed back down by a hand being pressed against my chest.

In my proper state of health, I could have fought against it and won, easily, but in my current weakness, I couldn't have fought off a kitten.

My eyes travelled from the hand, up the arm, to the face before I saw what I had been secretly been dreading.

My worst case scenario to wake up to, and it was right here, right in front of me, I couldn't believe it.

"Good morning Leonides." That all too familiar voice hissed, and I flinched, terrified of what would come next now. "Well, aren't you going to say something?" The voice inquired, but all I could do was stare in horror. Of all the things to happen, I'd take another bite from a vampire over this.

Anything but this...

Anything but _her. _

"M-mother." I managed to splutter out, past the lump of terror in my throat and the tears stinging my eyes.

"It's good to see you dear." She said, though I could tell by the poisonous look in her eyes, that it most certainly wasn't.

"The feelings mutual." I spat, finally finding my voice, though I knew that I could do nothing against whatever she wanted to do to me.

"Oh, don't be like that sweetums, I just wanted to check up on you." She told me, her voice sugary sweet, but her eyes empty of emotion, just looking down and judging me for what I was.

"Yeah, well you can get fucke-" She cut me off with a hard slap to the face, causing my head to snap to the side.

"You do _not _speak to me like that you filthy monster!" She yelled, her face twisted with rage and disgust as I winced, though I was well expecting it by now.

"You're the monster here." I said quietly, looking her in the eye boldly, but all anger was wiped from her face, replaced with something much worse: a smirk.

"Oh, we'll see about that."

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(A/N): Plot twist anyone?

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Leo, Elaine, Shari, Nicholai, Brooke, Mia, Lisbet, Jonothan, Cipicia and Quiggly.


	114. There Are Two Types of Cold

(A/N): Hey Guys! So, back to the story, two chapters in one night, yay!

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Leo, Elaine, Shari, Nicholai, Mia, Brooke, Cipicia, Jonothan, Lisbet and Quiggly.

* * *

Leo

That statement terrified me, but I managed, only just, to keep control of my emotions as my mother exited the room, chuckling darkly as she knew just how scared I was.

I was on the verge of hyperventilating.

After everything that woman, related to me by blood, my own mother, had done to me, I had a right to be horrified.

Not just the physical abuse, but the verbal as well, and the mind games she was so adept at playing.

Just the thought of that woman scared the shit out of me, and she knew it. It was obvious, in her eyes, as they stared down at me with a tinge of amusement in those otherwise cold and hollow eyes.

She enjoyed the pain she caused me, and in the state I was, weakened and chained to the cold stone slab, I had no way to fight back, and that terrified me.

I had to struggle to hold back tears as I fell into my darker thoughts.

What would she do to me?

Would I ever see my family and friends again?

Would I stay _sane?_

The last two I highly doubted.

This was my mother, she had never been kind to me from the minute I was born, she got pleasure from my pain, she was cunning and imaginative, a true Slytherin.

She had ways of getting what she wanted, though what that was I had no clue.

Was she just doing this for the fun of it, or did she have a specific reason?

I hadn't seen her in three years, and her last visit hadn't exact left me fully intact.

I struggled against the chain around my left wrist, tugging and flexing my arm in an attempt to worm out of it or to pull it out of the stone, but it wouldn't budge, and I realised that I was weaker than a human.

I rested the back of my head against the stone, before raising my free hand to gingerly touch the side of my neck where Lisbet's teeth had cut into my neck.

Why?

What reason did she, a vampire, have to bite another vampire, or half-vampire?

It was just bizarre.

I winced though, as my fingers gingerly brushed the area, a shock of pain flowing through my body, and I wondered if this was what Elaine had felt after she had been bitten.

It was like my whole body was hot, and throbbing with pain, my head felt like someone had stuffed it with mothballs, not painful yet but cloudy...

As I pulled my fingers away, holding them in front of my eyes, my vision swam and I gasped quietly.

No blood on my fingers.

I reached down carefully, feeling along my side where the shard of glass had pierced me, and felt a slight discomfort in that area, but when I pulled my hand back, there was no blood on my skin other than that which had dried on my shirt.

I was confused for a few minutes, a lone in the darkness, the only light being the moonlight streaming in from the window, when I got my first good look around, and realised exactly I was.

"Home." I mumbled stupidly, astonished.

It was the house I had lived and grown in for the first seven years of my life, why had she brought me back here?

I flinched as the door was pushed open again, bracing myself for the pain I expected to follow as I turned my head towards the opening, before my eyes widened, and my mouth fell open in a gape.

"Mia..." I whispered, recognising her immediately, before wincing and shaking my head, regretting the action as my vision swam again.

I tried to squirm away as she approached, but she placed a hand on mine, rendering me motionless, though not by my own intent.

"Mia." I said, as if to reaffirm that this was her, she was actually here, with me.

"Leo." She teased in reply, a small smile gracing her lips, and I stared at her for a second, before realising who I was talking to, and why I was here.

"Just get it over with." I muttered, squeezing my eyes shut tightly, awaiting whatever punishment my little sister was trained to inflict upon me.

"I'm not going to hurt you Leo." The statement startled me so much that my eyes were forced open once more, and I blinked a single time in confusion before meeting her own eyes.

"Then...why are you here?" She seemed a little hurt by the question, before she glanced down my body and shrugged as if the answer was obvious.

"You're my brother...I'm here to help you." I stared at her for a few seconds before shaking my head.

"No. Mia, no. Don't do anything stupid, don't do anything I-" She rolled her eyes, cutting me off.

"Don't do anything you wouldn't do? And what wouldn't you do to help me if I was in this same situation?" I blinked, thinking it over, and realising that she was talking absolute sense.

"Mia, no." I stated firmly, but she only glared at me, looking rather like a grumpy cat, before she moved to my left side, and I heard the clink of the chain around my wrists, before it fell away, and she lifted a key into my eye line. "You'll get caught!" I exclaimed in a whisper, trying to talk some sense into her, but she shook her head.

"They'll never know it was me." She seemed sure of herself, flashing me a confident smile I knew was utter bullcrap.

Even in my weakened state though, I heard the footsteps before her, and managed to force her under a table with a particularly long tablecloth on the opposite side of the room, only just returning to the stone slab before the door was pushed open, and none other than my mother entered.

Her eyes widened as she saw me standing, and unchained, and she raised her wand, white as the driven snow, to my face.

"And how did you do this?" She hissed, her lips pulling back over her teeth in a sinister way, and I had barely any warning before the word left her lips. "Crucio!"

The familiar spell left me writhing in pain on the floor, though I wasn't really aware of the surface underneath me, only the pain I was currently experiencing. I just wanted it to end, and I didn't have a thought conscious enough to pray that Mia wouldn't do anything stupid in the mean time.

After what felt like hours of pain, but was probably only for a few minutes, the pain subsided slowly, and I was free to open my eyes, looking directly up into the cruel sneer on my mother's face.

"This is what you deserve, you dirty monster." She snarled, before raising her hand, grasping my face in her hand, her sharpened nails digging into my skin, but I could barely feel them after the pain I had already experienced. "But-" She paused, the scowl disappearing as she replaced it with a calm, almost pleasant look. "We're going to make a deal." Her voice was sweet once again, and I was more scared than ever.

A deal?

What could she possibly want from me?

Without warning, and a very quick movement, like the strike of a viper, she fished something from her pocket, a vial full of a thick liquid the colour of the sky at night, and levered my mouth open by clenching her fingers down on either side of my cheeks, before pouring the contents in, and forcing me to swallow.

It tasted horrible, and burnt, like acid.

"What-?" I gagged, cutting myself off before falling to all fours on the ground as she released my face. "What _was _that?" I managed to ask, panting thickly as it stung my throat, and carved a fiery path down to my stomach.

"It-" She was cut off as the door opened again, but this time, it was kicked in, off its hinges. She was thrown out of the way, and a figure stepped into my view, so I lifted my head to stare them in the face.

"You?" I asked, perplexed, before my vision swam again, and I collapsed.

"Me."

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(A/N): Who?


	115. Agony

(A/N): Hey Guys! Third chapter tonight- well, since I last slept anyway. It's fairly short, sorry...

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Leo, Elaine, Shari, Nicholai, Brooke, Mia, Quiggly, Cipicia, Lisbet and Jonothan.

* * *

Leo

I faded back into consciousness some time later, motionless for a second as I was still numb to the world, before I recognised the burning inside me, strengthening and becoming more intense as I became more alert, and soon, I was writhing in pain all over again, the pain rivalling that caused by the cruciatus curse.

I couldn't see anything, my eyes were squeezed shut, I couldn't feel anything either, the pain making my body go numb, the only thing I could taste being a coppery tang of my own blood and the disgusting, cloying taste of the liquid my mother had forced down my throat, the only noise I heard being that of my own whimpers.

My fists were clenched, and I couldn't feel the specifics, but I knew I was lying on something other than the cold stone slab or the floor, seeing as how much softer it was.

"Ahh..." I gasped, my throat dry, feeling like it was ripping new little tears in my skin every second. "Wa...ter..." I mumbled, in case anyone was out there. I needed refreshment, badly.

I didn't recognise that I could hear again before a voice became apparent to me.

"You can't have water Leo, not yet...I'm sorry." I didn't understand, it wasn't a voice I knew, or thought I knew, in this weakened, half-delusional state, and I saw dots dance before my eyes like ballerinas.

I peeled my eyes open as my back arched toward the ceiling, mouth gaping and gasping as I was blinded by both a bright light and the pain in my body, my eyes clenching shut again from the pain, not that I had seen anything other than a light anyway.

Oh god... was I dead?

I'd think, if I was dead, that this pain would go away... and I wouldn't be hearing voices.

Unless...unless it was the voice of an angel... but why would an angel deny me water? Scratch that, why would I be in heaven?

So, not in heaven...

My thoughts were cut off as my body was wracked by a particularly harsh episode of stinging, acid-like burning from my insides, where the liquid had travelled, and I cried out wordlessly.

"Leo!" I heard a voice exclaim, sounding like they, themselves, were weeping. "Leo...Leo, it's going to be okay!" I paid no heed to the voice, what need did I have for it if it couldn't help me when I was in so much pain?

My whole body was throbbing, itching, burning, like someone had poured saltwater on the tiny scratches that I was sure coated my body, my arms twitching as I tried to reach for my throat, trying to figure out why it _hurt _so badly, but they couldn't quite reach, my hands fisting into balls as I sobbed and gasped, my body spasming with the pain.

"Please... please!" I cried, not knowing quite what I was pleading for. Relief? An end to my pain? Someone to kill me? I wasn't sure anymore, neither did I have to be as I succumbed to the agony burning through me, letting my jaw unclench, pride completely gone as I let myself scream my throat raw, though it hurt already, and I could taste blood in my mouth, though both my mouth and throat were completely dry.

"Leo!" I could barely hear this voice over my own pained screams, it was the same voice from before, and I could tell, for certain now, that whoever, or whatever, it was, had tears streaming down it's cheeks just as I did.

They seared as well, as they coursed down my skin, gracing my hot and dry lips with their salty presence before they slipped inside my open mouth, landing on my tongue, but not giving me any relief.

"Help...help, please!" I screamed, crying out for help though I knew no one would, or possibly could.

"Leo..." I heard the first voice whisper, as if their mouth was right next to my ear, but when I turned my head towards them, I could feel no breath ghosting over my face, no one was there. So, why could I hear them so clearly over my own screams.

"Help...me. Help me!" I managed to choke out past the burning mess in my throat, tears cascading freely now as my body writhed and wriggled with the excruciating pain I felt, my skin hot and crawling, though the blood that coursed throw my veins felt starkly cold in comparison, full of acidic pain.

"Please! Please, please, please..." I begged shamelessly, my toes curling as my bones began to ache, my face screwed up into a pained grimace. "Please..." I whispered one more time before I blacked out once more, my throat raw.

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(A/N): What did you think?


	116. Answers To Age Old Questions

(A/N): Hey Guys! Chapter four for tonight, hope you like!

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Leo, Elaine, Shari, Nicholai, Jonothan, Lisbet, Cipicia, Mia, Brooke and Quiggly.

* * *

Leo

I woke up again a while later, parched, but not in nearly as much pain.

"Water?" I mumbled stupidly, trying to sit up on arms that felt like they were made of jelly, only to have an arm wrap around my back and help me to sit up, pillows being pushed behind my back as I realised that I was, and had been, laying in a bed.

My own bed it seemed, but it was positioned in the middle of the living room floor, where there was plenty of space to move around.

As I turned my head slightly, I realised that it was Shari who was helping me to get, and remain upright, and my mouth remained open slightly until her eyes met mine.

They were tired, and full of pain.

"Shari...?" I asked quietly, but she shook her head, brushing my inquiry off.

"How are you feeling?" I was confused for a minute, before looking inside myself. How _was_ I feeling?

"I'm fine." She rolled her eyes, sighing deeply before handing me a tall cup full of clear, clear water.

I raised the cup to my lip, seeing how parched I was, taking a small sip before starting to chug it down.

"Hey, hey, slow down or you'll-" Spew. All over the floor. Nothing came up, just the water I had just tried to drink. Other than that, nothing, which really had me worried. "Leo-" I cut her off.

"Shari..." I said quietly, staring at the vomit-covered floor. "How long was I out?" We locked eyes and she shrugged, trying to blow it off.

"Not-" I cut her off again.

"The _truth, _Shari." I told her warningly, and she stared at me for a second before shrugging, and starting to clean up the vomit.

"A week." I almost choked on my own tongue.

"A week?!" I cried, before stopping myself as my throat burnt, feeling like someone had rubbed it with sandpaper so hard that little cuts had formed. "A week?" I asked again, more carefully, and she sighed before using vampire speed to clean up the rest of the mess before returning to my bedside.

"Yes. Your father was very worried about you." I turned my eyes to my lap, my fingers intertwining, trying to keep myself busy so I wouldn't freak out.

"What about Elaine, and her family?" I asked suddenly, having them pop into my head, and I tried to swing my legs over the bed only to be stopped by a sharp, intense pain in my stomach, and Shari's hand. "Ugh..." I groaned, leaning back as Shari watched me with worried eyes.

"They're fine, your father and I have been taking watches, though I don't think Jonothan will be coming back again." She informed me, one hand resting on my shoulder as she handed me the cup again, making me drink _slowly_ this time.

"He wouldn't dare, not after this." The arrival of a new voice startled me into choking on the water, spluttering as I recognised it and pulled away from Shari to snap my head towards the door where, as expected, none other than Lisbet was standing.

"You...You saved me, _didn't you?_" I asked carefully, curiously, not sure that what I had seen hadn't been a dream.

"That I did." I stared at her, before turning my eyes back to Shari, raising an eyebrow, asking if we could trust her, to which I received a small nod I knew wouldn't go unnoticed. "Most of the full vampires want you dead, Leonides." I turned my attention back to her after that statement, before rolling my eyes.

"No freaking duh." I muttered, shaking my head lightly as she grinned.

"To be honest, I kind of like you." I raised an eyebrow, to which she winked. "You've got spunk." I had no idea what 'spunk' was, but I was also sure that whatever it was, I didn't have it, if it made her like me.

"Why?" She seemed confused, so I elaborated. "Why'd you save me?" She grimaced, appearing at my bedside using vampire speed.

"Because Leonides, you're one of a kind. What with your half-vampire, part veela DNA and all..." Shari froze, glaring at Lisbet like I hadn't been supposed to know about it, but I grinned.

"Relax Shars, I already knew that." She froze again, her eyes fluttering closed in frustration before she turned to face me once more.

"_How?!_" She cried, throwing her hands up in the air like it was a big secret.

"An old friend told me, last year I think it was. I've known for a while." She stared at me for a minute, reading the trace of distrust on my face before she sighed, and shook her head.

"I'm sorry Leo, I just wanted you to be safe." I raised an eyebrow at her.

"Safe from what?" She opened her mouth to speak, but she was cut off by the door opening to admit not only one person, but two.

"Leo!" A familiar voice exclaimed, and I braced myself before arms were flung around me, though I had to grunt in pain as their body impacted mine.

"Hey Damsel." I whispered as she pulled away quickly, having heard my grunt, looking at me worriedly.

"What the _hell _happened?!" She growled, much more threatening now that I knew that she could kick my ass.

"I...don't actually...know..." I mumbled, glancing at Shari and my father before down to my lap, my fingers clenched together as I tried to avoid her gaze.

"Leo...?" She asked quietly, her tone confused, and my eyes jumped to her face again, worried.

"What? Are you okay?" I asked quickly, looking her over, trying to find anything that could be causing her pain or trouble, but ultimately finding nothing.

"I'm fine... you just seem..._different, _is all..." She trailed off, staring at me before my eyes darted away from hers again, to the spot where Shari had just been occupying, but now wasn't, before realising that all three vampires were now missing from the room.

"What happened?" She asked again, and I winced, trying not to think of it, trying not to remember the trauma or pain of what I had been through.

"I-" I cut myself off, looking for a way out of this conversation, anything.

"Leo, last time I saw you, you had a piece of glass sticking out of your side, what the hell happened?" She demanded, placing both hands on my shoulders to keep me in place, though she knew, by this point, that I could get out of it. You know, if I had my full powers back...

"A whole bunch of things... and then my mother..." She gasped before wincing and falling silent.

"Your...your mother?" She mumbled, staring at me. "She did this to you?" I hesitated for a second before nodding. "That bitch!" I glanced up at her again, before reaching up to rest a hand on the side of her face, making her look at me again instead of glaring into the distance.

"I'm fine Damsel, there's no need to worry." She glared at me weakly, furious, though scared to harm me in my hurt state.

"No need to worry?" She hissed, her fingertips digging into my shoulders lightly. "Leo, I will always worry, and I have much reason to." And with that, she didn't leave my side for the rest of the day.

I don't know what she told her mother or brother about where she had been, or what she had been doing, but she clung to me all day, gingerly, trying not to hurt me, until it happened again.

Pain tore through me, and I flung myself back against the bed out of reflex, screaming at the sudden pain, and the last thing I heard was my father and Lisbet reaching my bedside, Shari pulling Elaine away.

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(A/N): I both hate and love torturing Leo...


	117. Awakening One's Self

(A/N): Hey Guys! Next chapter, and this is one you've been waiting for!

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Leo

I woke up the next morning, body sore, and when I finally managed to peel my eyelids open, gritty with salty tears as they were, I was alone.

I listened carefully straining my eyes, finding that my senses were slightly closer to normal than they had been the last time I was awake, though I still couldn't hear the three vampires I knew were somewhere in the house.

I levered myself up slowly, being careful not to make any quick movements, pushing myself into a sitting position against the pillows, resting on my elbows, panting slightly through the pain in the pit of my stomach, before swinging my legs over the edge of the bed, hoping that they would support my weight.

They did, but I swayed slightly, and fell, unused to the new feeling of being unbalanced, and clumsy.

"Fuck..." I muttered, letting my forehead rest on the cold wood floor for a minute as I waited for my stomach to stop churning, and the world to stop spinning.

When it didn't, I pushed myself to my feet anyway, one arm wrapped around my midsection, the other reaching forward, in case I tripped again, or bumped into anything.

I just couldn't stand being cooped into that bed for a minute longer...

I stumbled through the halls, and I could hear them downstairs now. They knew I was here, but they also knew that I wanted my space.

What the hell had happened though?

Without realising it, I ended up on the other side of the house, outside a familiar door, the door to the drawing room Shari and I had used to start my animagus transformation.

Swallowing deep, I reached out a hand, resting it on the handle, casting a glance behind me to make sure no one was there, before pushing it open and slipping it inside.

I shut the door as quietly as I could, though more for my own sake than the others.

I padded on bare feet into the centre of the room, retrieving all of the books and ingredients from inside the old piano we had kept in there, spreading them out across the floor.

"Leo?" The sudden voice made me jump, and I spun around to see Shari standing behind me, the door still closed, though my vision swam, and I sat down on the ground, hard.

"Hey..." I murmured breathlessly, raising a hand to my forehead, where a thick sheen of sweat had formed, though it wasn't that hot out.

"Leo..." She began, moving my hand to replace it with her own. "I think you have a fever..." I shook her off, turning back to the ingredients.

"Can you help me with this?" I asked, deciding to ignore her, and I knew, from experience, that her lips were now pursed in a thin line.

"I-" She stopped herself, and for a second, everything was silent. "Okay." She adhered in a whisper.

"Good. Now, how do we do this?" I asked, my fingertips brushing the tops of everything before me.

"Uhm..." She looked everything over, rearranging a few things in order, shaping them into a circle. "Stand in the middle of here." She instructed, and I did as I was told immediately.

"What's next?" I asked eagerly, though I was breathing hard, and she glanced up at me from where she now sat on the floor.

"Take this." She handed me a sprig of _something,_ most likely bay. "Put it in your mouth, but _don't _chew on it." She warned me, a finger raised in my direction as I popped the sprig between my lips.

"Ots ex?" I asked, though it was muffled by the bay leaves in my mouth, and Shari only shook her head and chuckled lightly.

"Just give me a second..." She told me, taken one of the mortar and pestles from the side and placing some rosemary, spearmint, peppermint and more bay leaves into it before retrieving a box of matches, and striking the tip of the small matchstick alight, holding over the mix and dropping it in.

"Good for transformation..." She murmured, though I already knew all of this from my time spent with Remus and Elaine. She leaned over, retrieving the book from the side and smiling at me reassuringly before raising her wand towards me, and beginning to chant.

"Proserpina, dea mutationem nobis pro nobis melius mutare, coibant cum spiritus animalis. Concede nobis ut cum ipsis verus Deus Persephone!"

The ingredients around me began to glow, their light pulsing, and she dropped the book, her full attention on me now, her wand focused and levelled.

"Spiritus animalis apparent!" Something shot from her wand, hitting me full in the chest, and everything disappeared, leaving me numb, my eyes falling closed before I felt my body stretching, changing.

It wasn't painful. Somewhat uncomfortable, yes, but not painful.

I felt my insides shifting, and there was a pang of pain, though from my earlier ailment, not this. I heard faint groaning sounds as my ribs pushed outwards the same time as my skin did, to form a broader rib cage. I felt my knees pushed inwards, forcing me down onto all fours, and something extend from the bottom of my spine, my ears shifting upwards and remoulding, and hair growing thicker all over my body.

The numbness dissipated, and I opened my eyes, blinking rapidly, though I they sharpened and enhanced, locking onto Shari.

_Prey? _My instincts asked. I was used to this question from my normal instincts, but this was different, they were easier to quell. _Not prey. _I replied, and it was almost like the animal within me became bored with her.

Shari directed me over to a floor length mirror, currently covered in a thick sheet, and one thought went through my mind before she ripped the sheet away.

_Please god, don't let me be a lion._

And I wasn't.

I was a cheetah.

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(A/N): So, what did you think?


	118. Life

(A/N): Hey Guys! So, I realised that this year so far- from Christmas to now, has been twenty-nine chapters, which is almost as long as the others have been, and I'm not even into the school year yet...oops.

Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognise.

* * *

Leo

I raced through the house, sliding on the polished wooden floors and rugs, slamming into walls and tables, not used to my new feline body, before I reached the front door, where I reached my first dilemma. How did I open doors in this body?

Deciding to just go for it, I took the round handle into my mouth, twisting my head to the side, nudging it open with my nose.

Well, snout. Whatever you want to call it.

I burst through the open doorway, pouring on the speed in my still clumsy body, taking the subtle hints from the more animalistic side of me to go faster, and be more efficient.

My sharpened claws dug into the soft soil, the strong but lean muscles in my leg propelling me across the flat surface, and I reached the tree line in seconds.

I grinned, though I wasn't sure if it could really show on my feline features, I inhaled deeply, having almost forgotten to breathe, my eyes darting from left to right as I dodged trees, but I didn't have the same stamina as I did in my normal, fully equipped vampire body. I was fast, but not as fast as vampire speed, but it was as close as I could get at the moment, so I savoured every second of this experience.

Eventually, I tried to skid to a stop, though my paws didn't quite grip the loose dirt after my quick stop, and I slammed my side into a tree, deciding to return to my normal form before I caused myself serious harm.

"Oww..." I grumbled quietly, before I heard a twig snap in front of me, my head snapping up to see a face mere centimetres from mine, but not a human face.

The face of another feline.

"Shari...?" I asked uncertainly, and the tiger head dipped in a nod. "A tiger?" She rolled her eyes, quickly returning to her human form as well.

"Speak for yourself, cheetah boy." I chuckled, moving to stand before a sharp pang went through my stomach.

"Oof...ouch." I mumbled, and she rested a hand on my lower back, and offer for pain. "Shari...before Lisbet saved me, my mother gave me something...do you know what it was?" She knew, I could tell, by the way she was looking at me, like she wanted to tell me but couldn't. "Shari, screw 'keeping me safe', I need to know what I'm up against here!" I snarled quietly, and she blinked before sighing, resting a hand on my shoulder comfortingly.

"It was vampire blood." I blinked, confused. I took a step back, startled, sitting down hard.

"But...why did it have such an effect?" Shari raised an eyebrow.

"It has that effect on veela...you're part veela Leo. That's why it had such an effect. Not to mention how much it hurts humans to ingest it." She managed a light, almost fond chuckle, though I could hear the bitterness underlying in her tone.

"Did it hurt that much when you were turned?" She seemed a little shocked that I had made the connection, but shrugged nonetheless.

"It hurt a lot..." She begun, before her eyes met mine, and I could tell she was holding back tears. "But nowhere near as much as what you went through." She finished, before appearing, sitting next to me, having used vampire speed to do so, wrapping her arms around me tightly. Well, loosely for her, but tightly for a human.

"I was so scared for you... I thought you were going to die for sure." She whispered, her voice misty and muffled by the block of unshed tears in her throat.

"So did I." I admitted with a chuckled, but that only made her latch on to me tighter.

"The way you were screaming..." She buried her head in my neck, and I smiled fondly.

"I'm fine Shari, everything's okay now." I reassured her, slightly surprised as to how hung up about this she was.

Of course, she was like family to me, but I had never really known that she thought of me as such as well.

"Is it?" She asked in a sob, and I paused for a second before nodding furiously.

"It'll all be fine Shari, I'll make sure of it." She let herself sob freely now, her tears cascading down her cheeks before soiling my shirt with their salty moisture.

"Thank you Leo." She murmured, a few minutes later, as she rose to her feet, pulling me with her, careful not to jostle my stomach in any way.

"Eh, it's what I'm here for." I joked, resting an arm across her shoulders, pulling her to my side comfortingly. "What else do I have to look forward too?" I asked rhetorically, though she frowned, and replied nonetheless.

"Life."

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(A/N): Ooh, so dramatic!


	119. Proud

(A/N): Hey Guys! So, this chapter might seem a little rushed, but...sorry.

Disclaimer:I own nothing but my own OC's.

* * *

Leo

Weeks had passed since the incident with my mother, and it was September first, time to go back to Hogwarts.

I was looking forward to seeing all of my friends and, sadly enough, being away from my father, who wouldn't stop babying me ever since.

Lisbet volunteered to drop me at the station, Shari and my father hugging me tightly before we left.

Since the incident, I had grown stronger again, reaching my previous state of strength, fortunately, and my senses were newly heightened.

We arrived at the station, and Lisbet patted me on the shoulder fondly before the barrier to platform nine and three quarters, before disappearing into the crowd again.

Deep breath.

I jogged towards the barrier, slipping through without error.

I scanned the area, using both my heightened sense of sight and smell, trying to find my friends.

Taking a glance at the clock, I realised it was almost five to eleven, and moved quickly towards the train, loading my luggage before boarding.

With a deep inhale, I located their carriage, and started towards, pausing outside the door for a second, taking time to listen to the voices from within, smiling lightly at the familiarity.

As I was about to open the door, I caught another scent, and snapped my head to the side, beaming as I locked eyes with Mia.

"Hey." She mouthed, waving.

"Hi." I mouthed back before giving her the thumbs up, showing her that it'd all be okay, and that she didn't need to be nervous, though she only rolled her eyes.

I gave her one last wave before sliding the door open, and stepping in.

"Leo!" Arms engulfed me, and my grin widened as I returned the hug.

"Elaine." I replied teasingly, and she pulled back, examining me closely, before pulling me into another hug. "I'm fine." I whispered in her ear, and I heard a whine from inside the carriage.

"Where's my hug?" Sirius grumbled, and I spun Elaine back into her seat before lifting Sirius off the ground with a bear hug. "Ugh, forget I asked." He groaned, patting me on the back lightly, though I could tell he was joking.

I released him, and I was immediately bombarded by Remus and James.

"Glad you're okay Blue." Remus murmured, and James seemed confused after having heard this, though he managed to awkwardly pat on the back.

"And where's my main girl?" I asked teasingly, and Lily rolled her eyes, rising to her feet as James and Remus moved aside for her.

"It's good to see you Leo." She told me sincerely, though it was followed by a light chuckle as she wrapped her arms around my neck.

"You too Princess." I replied, before dropping into the seat between her and Damsel, Moony on the other side of her.

A few hours, the subject finally came up.

"So, are you still worried about what house Mia's going to be in?" It was Damsel who asked, and I grinned as all eyes turned to me, before shaking my head.

"Nah. She's proper Gryffindor material that girl." Eyebrows rose around the room.

"You haven't seen her in years Leo, she could have changed drastically." Lily pointed out, but I shook my head.

"I saw her a few weeks ago, along with my mother." Eyebrows rose higher.

"Didn't she disown you?" I flinched, and Sirius seemed to regret asking.

"Yep. It was such a pleasant visit." I lied through clenched teeth, and the others decided to change the subject.

"Do you think Minnie missed us?" Remus asked, and I grinned weakly.

"Of course she did! Who wouldn't miss us hoodlums?" Lily and Elaine shared a look, shaking their heads.

"Crazy..." Lily muttered.

Yet more hours later, we arrived at Hogsmeade Station.

We had gotten changed not long ago, and drudged to the carriages, drawn by nothing, to make our way up to the castle, though I was preoccupied the whole time, knowing that Mia was currently in the boats.

She had never been a good swimmer...

"Leo? Leo, we're here." Lily announced, shoving me roughly in the shoulder, and I realised we were the only ones left in the carriage.

"Sorry." I murmured, climbing out after her, and Damsel raised an eyebrow at me, to which I shrugged.

"Alright, let's go." James said, glancing at me sideways before taking the lead the way he almost always did.

We traipsed into the Great Hall, taking our seats at the Gryffindor table, waiting as the hall filled up, and for the first years to arrive.

"Here they come..." I murmured, catching the others attention and directing it towards the doors of the Great Hall just as they were pushed open by Professor McGonagall.

She strutted down the walkway like a majestic peacock, though I could see the bounce in her step, denoting to the feline characteristics of her animagus form.

Following behind her were a large group of first years, my sister leading the pack, not seeming nervous at all, though I could tell that she was, just that she had equipped the emotionless mask I had worked so hard to perfect, and pasted a confident grin over the top.

"Where's Mia?" I didn't have time to reply, my eyes fixed on Minnie as she started the sorting.

"Ashton, Ashley?" It went this way for a little while, before she reached about the middle of the list.

"Joannis, Miasenna?" Yes, her full name was Miasenna, but she hated it...much like I did mine. The hall went silent, everyone either knowing the Joannis name, or knowing me, and Mia took her steps towards the stool, Minnie placing the sorting hat on her head, before, in a split second, it shouted its verdict.

"Hufflepuff!" I wasn't expecting it, but my smile was wider than it would've been if she was in Gryffindor. When my mother found out she was in Gryffindor, Mia would have been in for the thrashing of her life. This way, she was safe, and not in Slytherin.

My group of friends and I stood and clapped, James letting out a shrill whistle before Minnie yelled at him, only to leave him laughing.

Our applause died down as Mia took her seat at the Hufflepuff table, her cheeks flushed lightly from our embarrassing antics, but I couldn't have been more proud of her.

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(A/N): So, what did you think?


	120. The Whole Nine Yards

(A/N): Hey Guys! So, chapter 120! Woo!

Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognise.

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Leo

After the feast, our group was heading out, towards the Gryffindor common room, when Mia caught up with us.

"Leo!" She exclaimed in a whisper, catching my attention, but no one else's.

"I'll catch up with you guys." I told my friends, who seemed very confused, but went along with it anyway.

I spun on my heel, making my way through the milling crowd to where Mia was standing, off to the side of the hallway, before leading her down a few corridors, away from any route that could be taken to any of the four common rooms.

"What is it? Are you okay?" I asked quickly, placing my hands on her slim shoulders, examining her closely for any injury before she shrugged me off.

"I'm fine Leo! I was actually...going to ask you that." She admitted shyly, glancing back up at me.

"But...why?" I asked, confused.

"Think about the last time I saw you Leo." She pointed out, rolling her eyes and crossing her arms over her chest.

"Oh." I mumbled dumbly, pulling back a step and biting my lip. "I'm fine Mia, really." She raised an eyebrow, sceptical, but I only grinned, sweeping her up in my arms quickly.

"Leo!" She squealed as I spun around in circles, making absolutely sure not to drop her, though she was light as a feather to me.

"So, Hufflepuff huh?" I asked with a smile as I set her down, keeping her at arms length, literally.

"Yeah...better than Gryffindor." She teased with a smile, so I knew she was joking.

"Oh, but you definitely have the recklessness of a Gryffindor Miasenna." Her eyebrows furrowed at my use of her full name, but she let it go.

"And you have the loyalty of a Hufflepuff." I shrugged, having heard it before from pretty much everyone I had ever met.

"What can I say, family is important to me." I told her, looking her straight in the eye as I did so, so she knew I was serious.

"I know Leo, it's important to me too." She replied in a quiet voice, her thin arms wrapping around my waist loosely once more.

"I don't think you'll have any problems fitting in." I told her with an easy smile, confident, for real this time. "If any one teases you, they'll have me to answer to." I told her, only half joking.

"Pfft, I can handle myself big brother." She reminded me, giving me a playful shove in the shoulder that failed to move me even an inch.

"Of course you can." I said, before making a face that clearly told her I didn't think so.

"I can!" She argued, half giggling at the face I had made.

"Sure, sure, and I'm a hippopotamoose." She giggled harder, shaking her head.

"It's hippopotamus, you idiot!" She chuckled, and we started to walk in the direction of the Hufflepuff common room.

"Just be careful with the Slytherin's, okay? And don't do anything stupid." I advised her, my tone turning serious.

"Not all the Slytherin's are going to be spies for HER Leo. And when have I ever done anything stupid?" I raised an eyebrow at her seemingly rhetorical question, and she rolled her eyes. "That wasn't stupid." My turn to roll my eyes now.

"It was so idiotic I wondered how you hadn't chewed through electrical wiring yet." She gave a dry look, before shaking her head.

"It was worth it. Without me, you'd probably still be there." I paused for a second, shuddering at the thought, and just how right she was.

"Yeah." I said, keeping my eyes fixed on the ground. "Probably." I escorted her back to the Hufflepuff common room, making casual small talk as she realised that she had turned the conversation very stressful, and headed in a horrible direction.

After that, I used vampire speed to make it through the now empty halls, and reach the Gryffindor common room.

"Pineapple slices." I uttered in front of the portrait of the Fat Lady, who jumped before groaning and swinging open, complaining the whole time.

"Don't sneak up on me!" I rolled my eyes, a small smirk gracing my lips as I slipped through, only to see Elaine, Remus and James on the couch, waiting for me to return.

Their heads turned towards the door slowly, having heard the Fat lady, but I used vampire speed to launch myself into the rafters above their heads, before swinging down, holding on with only my lower legs hung over the rafter.

"Leo?" Elaine asked quietly, though James looked perplexed, having only been newly exposed to my 'secret'.

"Hi!" I announced, and their heads snapped up, all three releasing a quiet, startled little shriek.

"Hilarious." Damsel muttered as I chuckled lightly, before jumping to her feet, heading for the girls dorms.

"Aw, Damsel..." I began, using vampire speed to return to crouching on top of the narrow rafters, stalking my way across them quickly to drop down on the floor in front of her, just in front of the stairs. "...Don't go." She jumped, and the boys spun around to see me leaning against the wall cockily.

"Idiot." She muttered, crossing her arms over her chest, turning around to return to the couch with the boys.

"You love it." I called after her, before using vampire speed to sit in the chair opposite their couch, making all three jump, something I delighted in, but hid it with a smirk.

"So, what can I do for you three?" I asked with a sigh, pulling my legs up so I was sitting cross-legged on the bright red armchair as they shared a look.

"Well...we were worried. Well, Remus and I were, James is just here because he's the only other person who knows." I shrugged, shaking my head.

"Brooke knows, Mia knows, Minnie knows." Elaine raised an eyebrow.

"So, Brooke knows? And what was Mia doing while you were having that...'visit'," She spat the word. "With your mother?" Remus and James looked confused, and I paled slightly before shrugging again, trying to remain nonchalant.

"Yes, Brooke knows. And, saving me, actually." They all seemed surprised, Elaine by the action, the boys by the word, 'saving'.

"'Saving you'?" James asked, and I glanced at him before shaking my head.

"Another secret for another day James-y-poo." I teased, before turning my attention back to Elaine.

"But...she...?" She spluttered, and I shrug.

"Turns out, Mia takes after me." I rolled my eyes. "Reckless idiot..." I muttered under my breath, and Remus raised an eyebrow.

"Now you know how we feel about you." He reminded me with a smile, but I shook my head.

"Yeah, but I can handle it, she can't. She's human, I'm not." James seemed a little taken aback.

"Wow, you were right, he really does go on tangents of self-loathing." Elaine punched him in the arm roughly, looking furious, but I chuckled.

"Oh, I go the whole nine yards." I shook my head, standing up to stretch. "Tangents, putting myself in danger intentionally, crying myself to sleep, you know, the big three." I told them faux cheerfully, before starting to head for the stairs to the boys dorm room. "Goodnight!" I called over my shoulder, before climbing the stairs, and falling into my bed.

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(A/N): So, what did you think?

Um...

To Featherwing:

It's better for her to be in Hufflepuff than Gryffindor, not because of the pureblood/slytherin discrimination, but because Cipicia wouldn't want Mia to follow Leo into Gryffindor and become closer with him.


	121. Alone At Last

(A/N): Hey guys! Now, hold your shoes! Before you throw your heavy, and potentially dangerous, objects at me, I must tell you the reason I've been missing so long... School. Yup. Year ten is fucking hard you guys, ugh... I haven't been writing as much of anything, but I wrote this chapter, and the start of another in Math and PLP when I had some free time... so I hope you like! Now, commence the throwing! *ducks* *screams*

Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognise as property of J.K Rowling.

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Elaine

We had arrived back at Hogwarts on the Sunday night, and the next afternoon, after a long day of lessons, Leo, Remus and I made our way to the Room of Requirement.

"Our first time alone together!" Leo crowed, dropping to his knees and pretending to weep with relief.

"Drama Queen..." Remus muttered, and Leo shot him a look of faux-hurt.

"Oh Remmy, how could you wound me so?" He gasped, staring up at him with wide eyes and a gaping mouth.

Remus only scoffed, shoving Leo in the shoulder, hard enough that it would have made a normal person lose their balance, but Leo didn't even flinch.

"Aw, don't be like that Moony..." I whined quietly, an amused grin tugging at my lips.

"Whatever, let's just get to it." He snapped, leaving Leo and I to blink in surprise.

"Moony...?" I questioned, and he looked at me with apologetic eyes.

"I'm sorry guys, I just... the full moon's coming up, and I just wish I could have someone with me." He confided, and I moved closer to him, biting my lip, wanting to say something, _anything. _

"You won't be alone Moony." Leo told him, but Remus only rolled his eyes.

"Madam Pomfrey doesn't count." Leo snorted quietly.

"I meant me." We both turned our heads to stare at him, confused.

"Leo, you know how much werewolves hate vampires after the change-" Leo cut him off, smirking.

"I never said I'd be doing it as a vampire." We gave him blank looks, and it dawned on Remus first.

"You-" Leo grinned proudly. "You _idiot!" _Remus screeched, launching himself at Leo, but he had already disappeared.

The hairs on the back of my neck stood up like they always did when Leo disappeared like this, but more strongly.

"Where are you?" Remus asked tiredly, but the only sound he received in reply was a low growl, making us spin around, terrified.

Upon one of the towering book cases was a large cat, a cheetah, its back feet on the top of the bookcase, its body angled so its front legs were stretched down a few shelves, claws extended, teeth bared, growling, but what scared us most were the eyes.

Bright blue, just like Leo's.

"Leo...?" I questioned quietly, my fear alleviated slightly by the familiar eyes, and he stopped growling, dropping to the ground swiftly, gracefully, and racing to my side, where rubbed his now feline head against my hand.

"You... you did it!" I chuckled in awe, crouching down to his level to look him the eye.

Without a sound, his body began to melt, his shape changing slowly, until Leo, in his human/vampire form, sat before me.

"Damn straight!" He cheered, a big grin on his face, and Remus cleared his throat, drawing our attention to him and the single eyebrow he had raised.

"And are you going to tell us _how _you did it?" He asked shortly, in an almost distrusting tone. Leo's expression sobered, and he looked almost ashamed of himself.

"Shari." He explained with a shrug.

"What?" I spluttered, confused, and he pushed a lock of hair off my face absentmindedly.

"Let's just say, she has a lot of experience in this matter." He sat down in one of the chairs, and an idea struck me.

"But this is great! Now you can help me to-" He jolted upright, his hands grasping my arms lightly so he could look me in the eye.

"No!" We stared at him, shocked, and he bit his lip, a hint of nervousness peeking through his nonchalant facade. "I mean, only one of us needs to do this." I stared at him for a second before everything fell silent except for the one loud **_crack _**as my palm made contact with his face, and I stormed out of the room, the image of his surprised and hurt expression imprinted on the back of my eyelids.

I growled the password to the portrait of the Fat Lady, who stopped mid song to let me through, flustered by my anger, and I stomped into the Gryffindor common room.

"Laney?" Sirius was the first to notice me, jumping up from the couch at the sight of my fury. "Laney, what's wrong?" He asked in a soft voice, his hands gripping my arms much like Leo had done, except with less urgency.

"Leo's being an ass!" I snarled, stomping my foot, knowing that he could probably hear me, but not really caring.

"That's uh..." He trailed off, glancing back at the others. "New?" Lily sighed, pushing past him to embrace me.

"Ignore him, he doesn't mean to be mean." I shook my head, that wasn't why he was being an ass.

"That's not what she meant." James guessed, earning himself a glare from Lily. "He was being over-protective again, wasn't he?" I nodded sharply, scowling.

"I can take care of myself, he doesn't need to..." I trailed off, dropping to my knees, a sob wracking my throat.

The others stood frozen for a minute, shocked, as the only people who had ever seen me cry were my mother, Jay, Leo and Remus.

Lily and James moved at the same time, sandwiching me to their chests, then Sirius, who gripped me from behind, his arms around James and Lily as well. I felt Peter grasp my hand, not being able to reach much else at that time.

"He doesn't need to..." I whispered again, sobbing grossly into the nook formed by James and Lily's shoulders.

"Shh...shh..." Lily said, trying to calm me down, all of them gripping me tighter. I was ashamed of myself... I was crying, in front of people, and I had a sinking feeling that Leo could, indeed, hear me.

"It's going to be okay Laney..." Sirius assured me, and I found myself believing his quiet coo.

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(A/N): This actually wasn't as long as I thought it was going to be... eh...

Did you like it?!


	122. Secrets and Circumstance

(A/N): hey Guys! *Nervous chuckle* Now, I know I haven't updated this story in a while, but I've been having some emotional probelms... so here's a chapter of over 2,000 words to compensate! Have fun!

Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognised belonging to J.K Rowling or anyone else.

* * *

Elaine

I woke up in my bed, not quite knowing how I had gotten there.

I hadn't walked up here, I know that much. Lily wasn't strong enough to carry me, and the boys couldn't come up…. The only thing remotely possible would be Leo, bit I dismissed that idea, both because he is a boy, and my current mood with him.

I threw on my clothes, dragged a brush through my hair and pulled it back into a loose ponytail before making my way down to the Great Hall and plonking down on the bench next toe Remus with a yawn.

"Ah, Sleeping Beauty awakens!" I flushed dark pink, both from embarrassment and with anger

"And now she wishes she hadn't." I said, glaring at Leo sharply enough to make his grin fade to a pout.

"Aw come on Damns, I'm just trying to protect you!" He exclaimed, reaching a hand out towards me, but I smacked it away.

"I don't care!" Everything was quiet for a second between us, before a voice piped up.

"You know, you shouldn't talk to my brother like that!" Turning my head, I recognised her immediately as Leo's little sister, Mia, plus by the way she had said, 'my brother'.

"Little bug…." Leo trailed off warningly, but still gently, and he sighed, turning her gaze to him.

"Yes, big bear?" Sirius snickered quietly, before yelping and glaring at Leo.

"You didn't have to kick me!" Leo smirked proudly, shrugging.

"_I _didn't." Mia reached a hand across, and high-fived her brother.

" She's like a female you." Lily marvelled, and Leo took on a worried look.

"Unfortunately." He muttered, and Mia stuck her tongue out at him before racing back to the Hufflepuff table.

"Just as protective…." I mused, and I didn't have the time to swat him away as Leo wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me tightly to him.

"Just as reckless too." He muttered in my ear, and I fought the urge to blush.

"I didn't think that was possible." I joked, and he smiled at me, a genuine, happy smile.

"Neither did I." He admitted, his gaze far off, probably on Mia's back.

"What was that you said about Mia saving you over the holidays? With your mother?" I asked quietly, trying to avoid drawing the others attention, knowing he'd only tell me and Remus, if he would tell anyone at all.

"Eh…. My mother was going crazy, Mia unchained me from the table, no big." I spun around in his arms to stare at him with wide eyes.

"_Unchained _you?!" I squealed, and the others glanced at us before Leo waved us away.

"It's nothing." He shot me a look that clearly said, 'later', so I let the matter drop with a slight glare.

Turning in my seat, my eyes sought Mia out of the crowd, and I shot her an appreciative look, even if she didn't notice it.

I understood now why she was so protective of him, and why he was so protective of us, but with my becoming an animagus…. It just didn't make sense!

Yes, I'd be spending most, if not all of my time in animal form with Remus in his werewolf form, but werewolves aren't dangerous to animals, only to humans, and, apparently, according to the last time I had seen Remus in his werewolf form, those with vampire blood.

After lessons, we, Leo, Remus and myself, lounged in the Room of Requirement, and I looked to Leo expectantly.

"So?" I asked him, and he gave me a confused look, but I could see the recognition in his eyes.

"So?" He knew what I was talking about he just didn't want to talk about it. I considered my options for a split second, biting my lip.

"What happened over the holidays, Leo? The last time I saw you before school started, you were writhing in pain, and you looked like you were at death's door!" Remus raised an eyebrow, curious and worried, but trying to remain nonchalant, which was something he had definitely taken from Leo.

"My mother. I've told you that." He glanced at Remus, and I remembered that Remus didn't quite know _everything _there was to Leo.

"What happened with your mother?" Remus asked, most definitely perplexed now, and I bit my lip again.

"Leo, you should tell him." Leo shot me an incredulous look, before it turned into a glare.

"Why don't you tell him?" He was referring to my father's abuse, I knew, so I swallowed my pride, and turned to Remus.

"Remus-" Leo grabbed my arm and dragged me through the bookcases until we were near the back of the room of Requirements library, way out of Remus's hearing range, no matter how close it was to the full moon.

"I didn't mean now!" He exclaimed quietly, wearing a look on his face that reminded me of a scared little boy, which told me his mask had slipped while he wasn't paying attention.

"Well, you need to tell him! Or at least me." I reasoned, and he stared at me, dumbstruck.

"I don't have to anyone anything, it's my past, why should it matter?" I went to rest a hand on his shoulder but he twisted away, leaving me to flinch.

"Leo…." He glared at me, an actual glare, but not one that suggested that he was truly furious with me.

"I don't need anyone's pity." He said bitterly, and my eyebrows raised of their own accord.

"You honestly think anyone pities you Leo?" He looked up at me as he leaned against the edge of one of the thick, sturdy wooden bookshelves. "Sure, you had a horrible past, but you don't need to keep secrets from us. _We're_ your family now." I told him, offering a smile, but he just stared at me.

"You were really going to tell Remus? Just because of me?" I shrugged, willing the blush that had bloomed on my cheeks to go away.

"It's about time anyway." I murmured, looking off in the direction I knew Remus was, and Leo wrapped his arms around me, pulling me to his chest.

"Don't worry about it Damsel, we'll get through this, you'll see." I grinned, worming my way out of his grip before boldly taking his hand in mine.

"I'll race you." I joked, and I took off, and he clearly let me win by the way we all knew he could have beat me there and had time to lap me a few dozen times before I, too, finished.

"You win." He told me with a smile, though he pretended to look disappointed and puffed out.

"Er…." Remus piped up, gaze flickering between us with a small, knowing smirk.

"Remus…" I trailed off, biting my lip and sparing a glance at Remus before slipping into the chair closest to his.

"Do you remember, last year, when I had a nightmare in the room of requirement, and I ended up crying in your arms?" I saw Leo blink out of the corner of my eyes, and remembered that he hadn't quite been informed of the event. Remus nodded quickly, obviously having memory imprinted into his brain.

"You said, 'it's just a dream', and I said, 'it isn't' and 'it's about my father'?" Remus nodded, getting more confused the further we went along. "Well…." I glanced at Leo again.

"Go on." He mouthed, giving me a kind, calming look.

"My father abused my mother, brother and I for years before we finally got the money to leave him." I whispered, my eyes fixed on the ground as a smile started to bloom on my lips. It felt good to tell Remus, one of my closest friends, but I was still close to tears.

"Elaine…." Remus murmured, then all I heard was the sound of a chair scraping back before he crushed me to his chest.

We stood like that for a minute, before he pulled back slightly, me still in his arms, but he was looking over my shoulder at Leo.

"Circumstance." He said, one word, and I stiffened, waiting for Leo's reply, unable to wriggle my way out of this embrace.

"Yeah." Leo muttered, his tone dry and hollow, and I knew that the mask he wore so well was back up, that emotionless mask.

"So, what did your mother do to you over the holidays?" Remus sounded calm, but I could feel his hand curled into a fist resting lightly against my side.

"Surprisingly little. A slap here, a Cruciatus curse there…." I sucked in a sharp breath, pushing Remus away lightly so I could face Leo again.

"That bitch, she deserves to rot in hell!" I growled, and Leo shot me an almost amused look.

"It's fine Damsel, Mia unchained me before she had the chance to do anything too serious." He had his mask back on, I could tell, but he covered it with a reassuring smile.

"Then why were you so….. weak and in pain when I saw you?" He winced, and shrugged.

"Weak was because of blood loss….. and pain was mostly because of this." He pulled the collar of his shirt away, and I saw a glistening scar, almost white, that closely resembled an older version of the one on my own neck.

I saw him look to the side as my own hand flew to my neck, and knew he was lying. What else could have happened that he didn't want us to know about, after telling us that.

"That- That's a vampire bite." Remus murmured dumbly, and Leo nodded.

"Like mine." Remus's head snapped around, but I ignored the dumbfounded, shocked look on his face in favour of Leo's somewhat guilty one.

I pulled back my collar as well, knowing what lay there, and mentally compared it to Leo's.

"Why does yours look older?" He raised an eyebrow, before chuckling lightly.

"Vampire, remember?" I stared at him for a minute.

"So…. Does this mean that you're a full vampire now, or….?" I asked, and Leo shook his head.

"I told you to become a vampire, a vampire has to suck your blood, then you have to suck their blood. And I'm pretty sure it'd just kill me anyone, given my already half-vampire-dness." My eyebrows furrowed, and I could see Remus still gaping at us from the corner of my eye.

"So, who bit you?" Leo shrugged, looking somewhat amused.

"Lisbet." I didn't recognise the name, but I vaguely remembered a third person when I had went to see Leo during the summer, a person who wasn't human.

"Ah…" I said, before Remus made a spluttering noise, causing us to look at him.

"Who bit him? Who bit _you_?!" He exclaimed, looking murderous and worried, but I only shrugged.

"Jonothan." He looked perplexed, and Leo decided to explain.

"My uncle. He was after me and tracked my scent to Damsel. Then he decided to attack, and I beat the crap out of him." Remus stared at us both, and the corners of my mouth twitched down, making a 'sounds about right' face.

"And you just…. _Neglected_ to tell me this via letter?" Leo and I glanced at each other, looking ashamed and guilty.

"Sorry Moony…" Leo murmured, and Remus placed a hand on his forehead.

"I just…. Can you guys _not _keep secrets from me from now on?" Leo and I glanced at each other, before nodding.

Leo gasped for a second, before his face screwed up, and for a second I was worried he was in pain, but then he glanced at us both, and rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

"Uh…. One more secret?" Remus and I raised an eyebrow each, looking unamused, yet curious.

"What is it?" Leo shrugged, sticking both hands in his pockets.

"I'm also part Veela." Remus and I froze, and my eyes fluttered shut before I exhaled slowly.

"Is there _any _part of you that's actually human?" Leo's smile dropped slightly before it rose again, and I knew that I had, albeit unintentionally, hurt him.

"Just a teeny bit." He held his fingers out, about an inch apart, and I shot him and apologetic look, only to have him wrap an arm around my waist. "Oh!" Remus and I glanced at him, surprised, before becoming worried.

"Another secret?" Remus asked, and Leo shook his head.

"No, just remembering something." It felt, to me, like he was lying, but he didn't look off to the side like he usually did, so I let it go for now.

"Ah….kay…." Remus murmured, looking unsure, but Leo ruffled his hair, and grinned.

"We should get back to the common room…." He glanced at me, and I shot him a glare.

"You can't stop me from doing this Leo." I told him, standing my ground, and he shrugged.

"I know that. I just said that I wasn't going to help you." Remus and I glanced at each other, and eyebrow raised each.

"So…. I'm still allowed to?" Leo smirked lightly, one eyebrow raised a little, as if making a challenge.

"If you can do it on your own, yes." I stared at him for a minute before jumping up and down.

"Yes, yes, _yes!" _I beamed at Remus, who only gave me an amused look in return.

* * *

(A/N): So, what did you guys think?

Also, I couldn't remember if Leo had told them about being part veela yet... so if I have, please alert me.


	123. Welcome To My World

(A/N): Hey Guys! This chapter was inspired by the song My World by Sick Puppies. It's a little bit dark, so beware.

Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognise.

* * *

Leo

For whatever reason, I couldn't sleep that night.

My mind wouldn't stop whirling, the others had fallen asleep ages ago, their deep, steady breaths the only sound I could hear.

Well, almost the only sound.

At first, I didn't know what it was that I could hear.

Then, I realised.

I jumped out of bed, as quickly and as quietly as I could- so, at the speed of light, and silently- and raced out of the dorm room, through the common room and out the portrait hole.

I listened again, trying to figure out who it was, before I realised that it was familiar, a hollow ache ringing through my chest.

When I took a deep breath in, I had to exhale quickly, shocked at what I smelt.

I set off running again, worried, and a little curious.

Within a few seconds, I arrived just behind them, and reached out, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Brooke...?" She jolted, spinning around, and I saw the tears streaming down her cheeks, and the blood running from her wrist.

"Leo!" She exclaimed in shock, before following my gaze to the blood trickling slowly down her arm. "Oh, this? This is..." She trailed off for a second, looking panicked. "I tripped." She whispered lamely, and I stared at her, barely keeping my instincts in check.

_Just kill her. _

That wild voice howled from the darkest parts of mind.

_No one will know it was you._

I shook it off, taking her forearm in my hand, gently turning her, pulling her closer so I could get a better look at it.

"You didn't trip." She stood completely motionless for a second before shaking her head, tears starting to well again. "You did this to yourself." It wasn't a question, I already knew the answer, having already seen it via my blood sensor.

I released her arm and bent down, carefully picking up the razor from the cold stone floor.

I slipped it into my pocket before standing, and looking her dead in the eye.

"Why?" Her gaze shot to the floor, before gradually making its way back up to me.

"Why not?" Both of my eyebrows flew up, and I may have growled a little.

"'_Why not?' _Brooke, what the hell could be so wrong that you'd want to hurt yourself like this?!" She stared at me for a second, looking slightly surprised.

"Everything. I mean, just look at me." She gestured to her body, and I scanned her, still remaining perplexed.

"What about it?" She rolled her eyes.

"I'm hideous." I let out a shocked laugh, shaking my head.

"You? Brooke, you're half-veela, you're in like, the top two prettiest girls I've ever seen!" She smirked slightly, sadly, knowing exactly who the other person I was talking about was.

"I'm a horrid person." She said with a sniffle, moving to sit back down on the floor where she had been before, but I grabbed her arm, the uninjured one, and stopped her.

"Maybe we should get that patched up?" I suggested, gesturing to the gash in her pale skin, her eyes widening.

"I can't go to Madam Pomfrey with this!" I rolled my eyes.

"Fine then, hang on tight." She looked utterly terrified and confused as I scooped her up into my arms, and with a single breath, I took off again, the slight weight of her not slowing me down at all.

Within a few seconds, I was outside the Room of Requirement, and another second later, we were in.

The room was smaller than the usual library I used with Remus and Elaine, more cosy, and there was a small table in the centre, with medical supplies stacked neatly on it, and two chairs right beside it.

"Welcome, Brooke, to the Room of Requirement." She gaped slightly, and I set her down carefully in one of the two chairs before scanning the supplies.

I took her forearm in my hand again, before looking her dead in the eye, dipping a cloth in a bowl of water.

"This may hurt a little." She nodded, visibly bracing herself, before I began to dab the wet cloth over her wrist.

"Ow, ow, ow, _ow!" _I winced, not enjoying hurting her. "Isn't there any other way you can do this?!" She whined, squirming, and I paused for a second, glancing up at her. "What?" She asked, suddenly still, her eyes wide with curiosity.

"There...there isn't another way..." She grabbed the cloth from my hand, tossing it back toward the table.

"Whatever it is, I don't care, just do it." My eyebrows creased together, and I pulled away from her, only to have her follow me. "Leo. Do it." My eyes fluttered for a second, before I shook my head.

"I shouldn't have brought it up..." She rolled her eyes, impatient.

"What is it?" I froze for a second.

"Something Shari taught me over the summer..." She raised an eyebrow curious. "Vampire venom had healing properties..." She stared at me for a second, before her eyes widened in realisation.

"Do it." She said, thrusting her wrist, still leaking small amounts of blood, into my face.

"Brooke..." I trailed off, unable to tear my eyes away from the dark red liquid before my eyes, and she shook it again, making the blood drip slightly faster.

"Do. It." I took a deep breath, praying to whatever god may exist, and actually care about the prays of half-vampires, that I didn't lose control.

I grasped her hand tightly, pulling her closer to me, the other arm slipping around her waist without my control, so she couldn't pull away, and my head moved of its own accord, tongue pressing flat against the wound, the taste of the blood tangy, and oh so delicious.

I could feel her heartbeat speed up, I could hear her blood rushing through her veins, and the second I managed to pull back, eyes still closed, something else met my lips.

Hers.

I was shocked, but still managed to press back against her lips lightly, the arm that was wrapped around her waist drawing her closer, my other hand releasing hers, and finding the nape of her neck, tangling it in her hair.

Her arms wrapped around my neck, and I took in a breath through my nose, accidentally managing to smell something...

I twisted my face away from hers, burying it in the side of her neck, I tried to resist it as the urge rose, but I slipped into sensory alert... and my lengthened, sharpened teeth found her neck, scratching her lightly with the sharp tips, drawing a small amount of blood.

"Leo!" She cried out, and I tried to stop myself.

Her arms slipped from around my neck, her hands finding a place on my chest, where she pushed hard, as hard as she could, actually managing to send me back slightly, which gave me the incentive to keep moving back, and I stood pressed against the far wall a split second later due to vampire speed, staring at her with darkened eyes.

"I tried to warm you..." I whispered, and she just gaped at me, little droplets of blood starting to crawl down the side of her neck. "I'm sorry." I glanced at her wrist, which was only a faint scar now.

"And I didn't listen..." She murmured, watching me intently, taking in my new appearance, darkened eyes, widened pupils, skin lost all of its colour, nails sharper and longer, teeth much the same.

"I'm so sorry..." I whispered, forcing myself out of Sensory Alert, refusing to look at her.

After about a minute, she stood from the couch, starting for the door before pausing, and turning around, only a few feet from me now, and I fought the urge to grab her, kill her, _drink _her.

She moved forward again, and I pushed myself further back against the wall as she rested a hand against the side of my neck.

"But this..." I stared at her as she did the same to me. "This is for helping me." Then, she placed her lips against mine again, and warmth spread through my body as we connected for a few seconds before she moved away again, not even glancing back as she reached the door.

I slid to the floor with a sigh.

"Fuck."

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(A/N): Hehehehe, Leo's first non-accidental kiss...


	124. Revelations

(A/N): Hey Guys! So, usually I write my chapters in Word before uploading them to here... unfortunately, on my school laptop, it won't let me open word, so I have to just write it straight into the Document thing. I've also accidentally just deleted all my work done in the past five weeks... -_-

Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognise.

* * *

Leo

Remus, Elaine and I were sitting, chatting absently in the Room of Requirement, when the door burst open.

I had made sure to sit slightly further away from the other two then I normally did, due to my small (major) slip up the previous night with Brooke, and I was so preoccupied that I hadn't even heard them coming.

Remus and Elaine jumped as the others, minus Lily, entered, used to having a warning via me, and three more chairs appeared out of thin air courtesy of James.

"It has come to our attention," He began, and I rolled my eyes.

"Does no one say, 'hey, how are you?' any more?" Sirius grinned, reaching out to ruffle my hair but I flinched away, leaving James, Elaine and Remus to stare at me worriedly.

"As I was saying," James said, tearing his eyes away from me to move them to Elaine and Remus as well. "It has come to our attention that you three are studying animagi. And due to a massive amount of deducing, we have figured out that it's because of Moony's furry little problem." Elaine snorted quietly, shaking her head.

"Took you long enough..." Sirius faux-glared at her.

"And we want in." We stared at them before Elaine scoffed.

"Leo's only just barely letting me do it, what makes you think we'll let you three attempt it?" Remus nodded furiously, and I just smirked slightly.

"Well, we're Moony's friends too! Besides, you three will need all the help you can get! It's not like it's easy to become an animagus." I chuckled quietly, and they turned their gaze to me.

"And what are you smirking at, sir-smirk's-a-lot?" Sirius asked somewhat bitterly, and I just stared at him while activating that small trigger like switch inside my brain that made me change.

I could feel my features changing, quicker than last time, it wasn't painful, but it was definitely very strange. within a few seconds, I hopped up on to the table, in my cheetah-form, I saw the boys gaping at me with wide eyes as I watched them with my animalistic blue ones.

"You-" James stuttered.

"You've already done it." Peter breathed in awe, and I admired his courage for a brief second before pouncing at him. Or, more precisely, just over his head.

He squeaked and dove for the floor, and I laughed internally, a quiet, growling noise erupting from my throat, like a harsh purr.

"Was that a laugh?" Elaine asked, an amused grin on her lips, and I made the change back, straightening back up into a sitting position, leg's crossed.

"I don't know, was it?" It was almost like the room breathed collective sigh of relief.

"Thank god, you were acting a little weird this morning." I raised an eyebrow at Remus' exultation.

"I was?" I asked, perplexed, and James scowled at me.

"So you've already done it." I turned my gaze to him, a little surprised at the sudden change of attitude. "Will you help us with it?" I shook my head quickly.

"I'll tell you the same thing I told Damsel. If you want to do it, I won't stop you, but I'm not exactly going to hold your hand and guide you through it." I remarked dryly, and Sirius raised an eyebrow at Elaine.

"He's feisty today, isn't he?" Elaine shrugged, grinning, before their was a quiet knock on the door.

Everyone turned their gaze to me, even those who didn't know I was a vampire, and I rolled my eyes before honing my hearing slightly to find out who it was.

I swallowed thickly before standing up.

"It's Brooke." The others looked confused, but I moved quickly towards the door, pulling it open and slipping through the small gap before closing it after me.

"Leo." She greeted, looking slightly surprised, but I grabbed her arm lightly, pulling her through hallway after hallway until we were far enough so I was sure the others couldn't eavesdrop.

"Brooke..." I started, biting my lip and glancing around, looking anywhere but at her. "I'm sorry about last night." I told her quietly, and she chuckled quietly.

"Leo, it was my fault not yours. I shouldn't have pushed you. Besides..." She glanced down at her wrist, where the injury had faded to a scar. "I did this to myself." I stared at her for a full minute before taking a quick step back. She looked offended, but I shook my head.

"Not that. You stink." She raised her eyebrows, looking even more offended, and shocked, and I rolled my eyes. "You smell like blood." Her eyes widened slightly in understanding, and she took a step back as well, probably remembering last night. "You know, you're pretty strong." She looked confused, but then she realised, and gave me a shrug.

"Veela genes I guess." I glanced back towards where the Room of Requirement was, before back to her.

"Brooke, Elaine and Remus know that I'm part Veela." She stared at me, urging me silently to continue. "And I wanted to tell them maybe that I wasn't the only one in the school..." She bit her lip, wringing her hands together, and I noticed the miniscule cuts on the side of her neck, caused by me. The blood had been cleaned away, but the small cuts, created my razor-sharp teeth hadn't faded in the slightest.

"Would you tell them... would you tell them _who_ it is?" She asked nervously, and I shrugged.

"Not if you didn't want me to." She looked kind of relieved, and nodded.

"You can tell them then. I just... I don't think I'm ready for the world to know, you know?" I nodded.

I knew _exactly _what she meant.

* * *

(A/N): So, what did you think? The power has gone out twice in the past half hour... I'm in maths at the moment, and I got to recess in four minutes, so I probably won't get another chapter done until at least this afternoon.


	125. That's Probably a Bad Thing

(A/N): Hey Guys! So, I'm writing this chapter in PLP (don't worry, I already finished my work), but I still have to type it into the Document editer thing-y, so forgive me for any spelling mistakes, spell check doesn't cooperate very well.

Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognise.

* * *

Leo

By the time I returned to the Room of Requirement, James, Sirius and Peter had gone, and Remus and Elaine looked up as I reentered.

"What was all that about?" Elaine asked, a strange sort of look on her face, and I shrugged as I sunk back into my seat.

"Stuff." I told her, in a tone that meant 'drop it'. Of course, Elaine being Elaine, didn't like being told to drop it.

"What stuff?" She asked, narrowing her eyes at me, and with a glance at Remus I realised he was doing a poor imitation of the same expression.

"Stuff with Brooke stuff." I said weakly, not really sure how to explain it without it automatically leading to something bad.

"Anything you need to tell us?" Remus asked, his simple question clearly laced with double meaning, and I shrugged.

"Probably. Did you know I'm not the only Veela hybrid at the school?" Their eyebrows shot up, Remus's less so.

"I guess it makes sense... I mean, if there's going to be two abnormal people, there's probably going to be more, right?" I nodded, and Elaine's forehead creased.

"Who?" I shook my head furiously.

"I can't tell you that." She glared at me, but Remus placed a hand on her shoulder comfortingly.

"I'm just going to take a shot in the dark here and say that you made a promise." Remus guessed, and I nodded, smiling slightly.

"I don't break my promises, especially to someone with so much blackmail on me." Elaine raised an eyebrow.

"Who has more blackmail on you than us?" I shrugged, looking unsure, biting my lip.

"The other veela hybrid." Remus nodded slowly, thoughtfully.

"So there's only one other Veela hybrid?" He asked, and I thought about it for a second, trying to remember if I had heard, or smelt anything to indicate otherwise.

"That I know of, yeah." Elaine nodded, looking a little hurt.

"It's Brooke, isn't it." It was mroe of a statement than a question, and I forced myself to look incredulous.

"_Brooke?! _God no!" I pretended to look a little offended, and they both looked surprised.

"I have to admit, that's what I was leaning towards..." Remus muttered, looking sheepish with wide eyes.

"I was not expecting that." Elaine said, sounding a little antsy to be honest.

"Besides, that wasn't an invitation to _guess _who it is you guys!" Remus shrugged, and Elaine smiled slightly.

"Fine, fine, we'll stop..." She leaned over, moving to rest a hand on my shoulder, but I flinched away. "Why do you keep doing that?" I looked her dead in te eye and shrugged.

"Now that, that was partially Brooke." I went to stand up, but Remus surged forward, grabbing me and pushing me back into the chair.

"Only three days till the full moon." He reminded me. Three days before the full moon was when he was at his strongest, physically. Tomorrow, he'd be weak, the next day even weaker. The day after that? So weak he could barely stand.

I went to stand up again and he tried to push me down. I rivalled his strength exactly, measuring just how strong he was.

Beads of sweat appeared on his forehead, and I smiled before simply pushing him out of the way, pleased that I was still stronger than him even at his peak.

"Yeah, well, if the macho-man fight is over, can we get back to business here?" Elaine asked dryly, one eyebrow raised at me as Remus lay on his back on the cold ground at her feet, staring up at me.

"You weren't as strong as that last year." He pointed out, and I shrugged.

"And I wasn't that strong the year before either. I'm still growing Remmy." His eyes widened, he knew what I meant.

I would only get stronger and stronger, and I could already beat him in a fight, wolf-form or no.

"Besides," I said, a grin blooming. "I train with vampires, remember?"

* * *

(A/N): So, what did you think?

I may get another chapter in before lunch, maybe.


	126. When The Full Moon Rises

(A/N): Hey Guys! I've only got like, fifteen mintues left before lunch, so I'll start this next chapter now...

Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognise.

* * *

Remus

The full moon.

I had spent the whole day in the Hospital Wing, Leo having taken me there in the morning, I was so weak.

Of course, I was used to being weak, but it had still been an embarassing shock when Leo had complained about me taking too long to walk there with him supporting me, and decided to just scoop me up in his arms and run there.

It had only been for a few seconds, but I was still cherry red when I had arrived, the rest of my face sallow and pale, dark grey smudged lining my sunken eyes, my lips pouty and my tongue dry.

It had been boring in the Hospital Wing after Leo had left for classes, but I spent most of my time sleeping.

At seven o'clock that evening, madam Pomfrey lead me down through the grounds to the Womping willow tree, and guided me through the enclosed tunnel into the Shrieking Shack.

She made sure I was comfortable- or, well, as comfortable as I could be- before she left, scurrying through the exit in a tizzy, her footsteps fading fast.

And then, a few minutes later, the change started.

My whole body shook, my breath coming out in wild pants, before my skin tore, my nails growing too fast for my hands to catch up, bones shattering and reshaping themselves, everything moving, my clothes ripping away until I was nude, my knees popping out backwards, causing me to fall on to all fours.

My teeth grew inside my mouth, leaving me unable to close it as my ears moved up the side of my hear and grew, and then, the fur began to grow.

It was itchy, and it actually stung a little, pulling at the skin and ripping it slightly in some places as it grew too fast.

And then, the wolf mind came in.

_Hunt._

_Kill._

_Eat._

I fought with it, grappling against it, but it was like trying to climb a smooth, wet wall.

_'Remus...?' _A familiar voice chimed, but I was too caught up in my fight to notice.

_'Remus.' _It was Leo, I saw, as the beast turned my head, in his cheetah animagus form.

_Attack._

The wolf inside me said, and launched me towards him, but I only crashed against the wall, Leo having moved already.

A throaty growl echoed through the room as I tried to gain control, the wolf charging at Leo again, and this time it didn't miss him, but he swiped out at me with his sharpened claws, not really having a choice in matter.

The wolf howled, before levelling him with an animalistic glare.

'_Remus! Get control of yourself!' _The voice rang clear in my head, like a bell, and the wolf slammed against my mind before moving to charge at him again but he got out the way, ramming into my side, sending me sprawling to the ground, before he pounced on top of me.

The wolf's legs were too long to scratch at his sides as he pinned it to the ground, halting its movement as his jaws met its neck.

The familiar yet alien mind receded, crawling into a corner to lick it's wounds, and my mind resurfaced.

_'Leo...?_'

He let me up, jumping up into the mostly shredded arm chair, curling into a ball of spotted fur, his bright blue eyes blinking in the darkness, appraising me.

_'Took you long enough.'_

I scowled, which really involved a low growl now that I was in wolf form.

'_It's not like _you_ have to deal with something like this!' _

One of the cheetah's furry eyebrows raised, and I regretted speaking. Thinking...?

'_It's with me all the time Moony, don't forget that.' _

The mood was tense for a minute before a flash of animalistic rage coursed through my veins, and I struck out at the wall of the shack, sending chips of wood flying, but Leo didn't even flinch.

'_What if this happens when Elaine completes the change Leo? What if I attack her?' _

_That _made him flinch.

'_And you heard the boys, what about them?' _

Leo stared at the ground for a second before rising to his feet, jumping down from the chair to stand before me.

'_I'll make _sure _nothing happens to them._'

It sounded vaguely like a threat, but I smiled, which was really just baring my teeth in a wolfish grin.

'_But who's going to make sure nothing happens to you?'_

* * *

(A/N): Sorry for the wait guys, I've been home for a few hours and I only just got around to finishing this...


	127. The Morning After

(A/N): Hey Guys! So, at school again... science this time. I still have to write this in the document editer, but I found all that work I thought I deleted... thank merlin I thought to save it on my H drive as well... on the downside, all of my music is gone. -_-

Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognise.

* * *

Elaine

It was only about ten minutes until the ed of breakfast that Remus and Leo arrived at the Gryffindor table.

To be honest, we were all a little surprised. Usually, Remus doesn't leave the Hospital wing until at least the afternoon on the day after the Full moon, and here he was.

He still looked weak, almost unbearably so, but he had a smile on his face.

He looked exhausted, and I expected Leo to as well, seeing as he had been the one staying out all night with him, but he barely looked sleepy.

"Morning!" He chimed cheerfully, beaming at us, and Remus nudged him lightly in the arm as he reached for an apple, piercing the flesh of it with his teeth.

"Only just." Sirius said, sounding slightly amused, and Leo shrugged.

"Madam Pomfrey didn't seem to want to release her favourite patients." I saw Lily's eyebrows shoot up, and asked the question before Lily had the chance to overreact.

"We all know why Remus was there, but why were you?" Leo waved a hand, like it wasn't important, but Remus had blanched.

"A few cuts and scrapes from a night out." He told me with a wink, the sleeve of his button-down school shirt slipping up a little to flash a rather large cut on the back of his wrist.

"Fighting with the wolf man again?" A voice popped up behind us, one I recognised and that almost always managed to make my skin crawl, especially put with those words.

Spinning around, we all saw Severus Snape standing behind Leo and I, scowling at Remus, who had pale beyond comprehension.

"You know how much I like to fight, Severus." Leo said, the only one who had managed to keep their cool. His tone was nonchalant but had a sharp edge, and his eyes were hollow and dead, a warning, almost.

"I'm sure you were _born_ for it." My eyes widened, and from the corner of my eyes I could see that Remus and James had experienced the same change.

"And you were born to be a greasy git, so we're even." He said it with a sort of simplicity, one that made us all blink in surprise, the look on his face was decptively calm, a small smile curving his lips, but I could see the rage and fear in his eyes.

"Leo!" Lily snapped, standing to take the side of Severus. "Don't be so mean!" Leo's expression didn't change, and he didn't even spare Lily a glance before he stood and left the hall in a rush.

Remus and I shared a glance before following him, but we weren't the only ones.

* * *

(A/N): So, I have no idea what I'm doing. I'm working this out as I go along, so... don't kill me!


	128. Barking Up The Wrong Tree

(A/N): Hey Guys! And no, I shouldn't be doing work at the moment, I finished it already... The teacher's trying to set something else but his computer isn't working, so... yesssss!

Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognise.

* * *

Leo

Thoughts whirred through my head, I panted for breath even though I was walking at a normal- well, it was a bit fast for a human actually- pace.

I could hear Remus and Elaine trying to follow me but they were slowly losing me, too slow, especially with Remus in his weakened state.

Then I scented something new. Someone new. Well, not _new_, but it hadn't been there before.

I paused in my walking, wringing my hands instead from nerves.

"Brooke." I greeted her as she approached, not looking up, nor turning around.

"Leo." She didn't sound surprised that I knew it was her, and instead moved to my side.

"We may want to move unless we want the terrible twosome to find us." I told her, hearing Elaine and Remus slowly catching up.

"Lead the way." She said, waving a hand to get me moving but I rolled my eyes, instead taking a deep breath and scooping her up into my arms and taking off at a run.

Seconds later, we were a few feet back from the edge of the Forbidden forest, shrouded by the trees from any prying eyes.

"I heard there were spiders in here..." I snorted quietly.

"Big ones." I agreed, causing her to blanch, examining the floor around us with wide, darting eyes.

"I don't like spiders..." She whispered, and I rolled my eyes before grabbing her again.

...

"I also really don't like heights." She murmured anxiously as we perched in the tree tops, and I grinned at her.

"Don't worry, I'll catch you if you fall." It felt saying that to her, I didn't know why...

"Strangely enough, that doesn't help." She said, a small, weak smile on her lips. "Aren't we missing class...?" I shrugged.

"Does it matter to you?" She thought about it for a second before shrugging.

"Not all that much actually. You?" I shook my head.

"Not at the moment, no. Besides, I have Minnie first, she'll probably just give me a detention and move on." She raised an eyebrow at the nickname and I smirked.

"How'd she take to that nickname?" I winced slightly, and she giggled.

"Not as badly as she _could _have." I admitted, though, honing my senses, I could still hear everything inside the castle.

Lessons were only just now going in, we could still make it.

"If you want, you can still go..." She cut me off with a shake of her head.

"Not until you're okay." It was an odd sentiment, given our positions. Shouldn't I be the one worried about her, not the other way around?

"I'm fine Brooke, I just needed a breather." She raised an eyebrow, giving me a look that told me she knew that I was full of shit. "It was either that or punch Severus in the face." She paused for a second, biting her lip.

"Is he that greasy fellow who always hangs out with your friend Lily?" I nodded an affirmative before shrugging.

"He may or may not know that I'm half-vampire." She gasped quietly, before her wide eyes narrowed into a deadly glare.

"He better not say anything or-" I smiled at her, resting a hand on her shoulder lightly.

"Don't worry, Minnie would kick his ass for me if he did."

* * *

(A/N): Yeah... So, I just had to do my new assignment for science, which is why it took me so long to write this... I have recess in ten minutes, then a double of maths afterwards, so I might write another chapter then if we still don't have work to do.


	129. Three Blind Mice and The Big Bad Wolf

(A/N): Hey Guys! So, I'm in maths now... we did have work, I've finished it... most of it, anyway. I have a test this week apparently, which I am well prepared for, so, more writing!

Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognise.

* * *

Elaine

I was a little worried when Leo didn't show up for first class, tranfiguration with Min- Professor McGonagall, but I knew he could take care of himself, for the most part. Lily was still worked up over how he had insulted Severus, but she at least had the common decency to act worried about his disappearing act as well.

Professor McGonagall kept shooting glances at his empty chair beside me, a stern look thinly veiling a look of concern.

At the end of the class, she called Remus and I back.

"Professor...?" Remus asked cautiously, glancing at me as we stood before her desk, her fingers neatly knitted together in front of her.

"As I'm sure you two have noticed, your friend Mr. Joannis," Her tone was formal, but here eyes showed a fondness for us, or perhaps only for Leo. "_Didn't_ show up for class today. Would you happen to know _why?_" I glanced at Remus before starting to speak.

"Er... Severus- Severus Snape-" Professor McGonagall nodded, showing she recognised the name. "Came up to Leo at breakfast and made a few snide comments... concerning Remus and Leo's... conditions." Her elegantly poised eyebrows shot up in a moment of incredulous horror.

"And what did Leonides do?" She demanded to know, and Remus shrugged.

"He told Snape to stop being a git and walked out. We tried to follow him but uh... he's a bit quicker than us." Minnie paused for a second, slowly lowering her gaze to the desk, a look of stern admiration on her features.

"I see. Tell Leonides he has detention at seven o'clock here with me. _I _will deal with Mr. Snape." The sharp finality in her tone told us the conversation was over, but I saw the corner of her lips twitch up in my peripherals as we turned to leave.

Our next class was potions, and as Remus and I entered the room, we immediately recognised the halo of blonde hair that obviously belonged to our best friend, his back turned to us, and the other Marauders as they shared a table behind him, Lily sitting across the room with Severus.

Remus and I quickly took our seats beside him, and I glanced at him, trying to gauge his mood, but I was met with only a blank mask, with a slight tint of amusement on it, like it was a canvas splashed with highly watered down paint. His eyes suddenly connected with mine and I had to look away, forcing back a blush.

"You alright?" Remus asked him in a whisper, and I saw him shrug.

"I've been better. Of course, I've also been worse, so..." He smiled lightly before flipping open the front cover of his notebook open, dipping his neat looking quill into his inkwell before starting to copy from the board.

* * *

Lily

A hand clasped tightly over my mouth as an arm wound around my waist, pulling me backwards into a small, darkened room.

A flare of light and a murmured word, and I was released.

"What the-" I tried to scream, but nothing came out. I thrashed, even though nothing was holding me down, and two hands landed firmly on my shoulders.

"Calm down, Lilian." I recognised the voice, growled silently, and struck out, my foot meeting Sirius's shin. "Ow! She kicked me! James, she kicked me!" Another flare of light, this time staying around, and I saw, now that the room was lit by wandlight, that Sirius, James and Peter were here, and, strangely enough, Remus.

I mean, usually it was the two boys, Sirius and James, with peter tagging along. Remus was too bright to follow their every move, and spent most of his time with Leo and Elaine in the Room of Requirement.

"Now, if you agree not to scream, I'll take the silencing spell off of you." James explained calmly, to which I nodded slowly. "Good." With another word mumbled under his breath, I squeaked experimentaly, finding it to have worked, and glared at the boys.

"What the hell?!" I growled, and Remus grinned lightly.

"We wanted to talk to you. Me, I would have gone with a casual sit down, some tea and biscuits, but you know, kidnapping just sounds like so much more fun to them." He gestured to the other Marauders with his thumb, rolling his eyes. "Crazy buggers..."

"We wanted to talk to you about the fight this morning." Peter explained timidly, and I was confused for a second before realising what they were talking about.

"Oh, that. Leo shouldn't have-" Remus cut me off, his demeanor changing completely.

"Don't say that! Leo did nothing wrong." I raised an eyebrow, as did Peter and Sirius, but James just nodded.

"You don't understand Evans. What Sniv- _Severus," _He corrected himself. "Said, was completley wrong. I mean, look at what he said about Remus! How does he even know that?" He looked at me suspiciously but I shook my head furiously.

"I didn't tell him!" I cried defensively, and I looked to Remus. "I don't know how he figured it out... but what does this have to do with Leo?" Remus and James froze for a second, glancing at each other before James sighed.

"It has to do with that secret of Leo's." At once, Sirius, Peter and I's eyebrows all shot up.

"Wait a minute, _you _know what the secret is?!" He glanced at Remus again before shrugging sheepisly, looking to the ground, and nodding. "Oh wow... that really puts things in perspective." I growled bitterly, my eyes stinging slightly with unshed tears.

"It's not like that Evans! I figured it out for myself." I stared at him before shaking my head.

"You make it sound like it's obvious." He shrugged, looking back at Remus with a small smile.

"It kind of is." Remus said with a laugh, and I frowned.

"Then why can't I see it?" I asked quietly, and Remus smirked.

"Because you're the three blind mice," He said, looking to Sirius, Peter and I. "And I'm the big bad wolf."

* * *

(A/N): Maths is about to end in like, ten minutes, so I probably won't have another chapter until after school seeing as I actually have work to do in my English lesson...

I hope you liked the fairytale reference.


	130. Eavesropping From Afar

(A/N): Hey Guys! So, I should be doing work right now... oops.

Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognise.

* * *

Leo

Elaine and I had sat in the Room of Requirement for about ten minutes waiting for Remus before realising that he wasn't simply running late.

After, Elaine gave me permission- pfft, like I needed her permission- to eavesdrop, and see whatever devious schemes he was planning.

Honing my hearing, I quickly located Remus, slightly surprised to find him with James, Sirius, Peter, and, more shockingly, Lily.

"They kidnapped her again." I told Elaine with a chuckle, and she looked confused.

"_She_?" I backpedalled, remembering that she couldn't hear what I could.

"Remus is with the Marauder boys, they kidnapped Lily." She made a sound of understanding before raising an eyebrow.

"Those boys are going to grow up to be kidnappers, you can just taste it." I shrugged, focusing on the other conversation once more.

"They're talking about how Severus knew..." I breathed a sigh of relief, a small smile blooming on my lips. "Lily didn't tell him." Not that I had thought she had, but it was a relief to make sure that she hadn't.

"I didn't think she would." Elaine agreed, watching my reactions carefully.

"Oh." I muttered absent mindedly, and Elaine raised an eyebrow.

"What? What happened?" I waved her off for a second, before a grin spread across my lips.

"They know that James knows... and Remus made a funny." She rolled her eyes, wacking me on the shoulder.

"Boys! You had me worried, you clod." I smirked at her, grabbing her hand and spinning her in a circle before focusing again.

"They're leaving now... Remus will be coming back soon." I looked up at her, only to realise she was only a foot away.

"Uh..." She mumbled, and I cleared my throat, moving away from her quickly.

"Sorry." I shot her an apologetic look before sitting down, flicking through a book that so happened to be in front of me, not even bothering to scan the pages, though I could still feel her staring at me.

"Leo..." I cut her, standing up and moving towards the door quickly.

"I'll be back." She caught my hand, the other one planting against the door so she was full up in my face, blocking my way out.

"What. Is. Wrong?" She asked, and I rolled my eyes before pulling the door open, despite her having her full weight against it, catching her around the waist as she was flung back before releasing her quickly, just so she wouldn't hit the floor.

"I'll be back." I told her again, shutting the door behind me quickly, taking a deep breath and racing through the castle and out into the grounds.

* * *

Remus

As I entered the Room of Requirement after having kidnapped Lily with the other boys, Elaine was sitting on the floor, her wall against the wall by the door, chin resting on her knees.

"Elaine...?" Her head snapped up, and I saw the wet streaks of tears on her cheeks, and she immediately moved to wipe them away. "Elaine..." I whispered, and she stood up quickly, moving over to the table where a book still lay, half open.

"Afternoon Moony." She said brighly, though I could hear the hurt in her voice, and crossed to her side, immediately wrapping my arms around her tightly.

"What did he do now?" She stiffened, before sniffling.

"He didn't do anything... that's exactly what he did." I was confused, but took her word for it anyway.

"Well... he's a git." She giggled quietly, though the sound was sort of watery due to the tears that were still flowing, though slower.

"How was your kidnapping session?" Now it was my turn to freeze, my eyes fluttering closed for a second.

"Leo eavesdropped...?" She nodded, smiling slightly as she pulled away, throwing a book to me.

"It's what he does best." She reminded me, raising an eyebrow quietly, gesturing with her head out of the window, where the Forbidden forest could be seen.

"Ah." He could hear us, then. Probably. I don't really know how strong vampire senses are, but if he had been able to hear our conversation when we had kidnapped Lily, I had very little doubt that he could hear us anything less than perfectly now. "We need to get him a collar with a little bell on it." I suggested with a small smile, and Elaine coughedlightly, trying to hide a laugh.

"Might make him look a little butch..." She said, glancing to the ceiling as if seing it in her minds eye. "Yep, yep, definitely butch."

* * *

(A/N): So, what did you think?

I know it's short, and that it ended abruptly, but...

I find it hard to focus when my boyfriend and his friends are nearby, they tend to be... distracting, to say the least. :P


	131. Blood Lust

(A/N): Hey Guys! So, I'm in maths now, just finished a test actually... the teacher told us to get on a maths website when we were done, but flash player is required and isn't working, so I took this opportunity to write. Yay!

* * *

Leo

I sat in the depths of the Forbidden forest, resisting the ever growing urge to rock back and forth into insanity.

I could hear everything, but I tried to limit it to whatever was in the forest, instead of going anywhere near the beings in the castle.

Every little creak a tree made, the sound of giant spiders skittering after the hoofbeats of dear, and I could hear, and smell, the centaurs that were very territorial or their forest.

I tried to stear clear of them, and the thestrals, seeing as I had a certain kind of respect for them, and I gave the spiders a wide birth, both for Hagrid's sake, and my own.

I smelt a deer, a while away, and without concious thought, slipped into Sensory Alert.

With barely a twitch, I was halfway across the forest, the deer in my grasp, my teeth tearing at it's flesh.

Seconds later I managed to force myself to release it as it weakened, and it stumbled away and I dropped to my knees on the forest floor.

My eyes swam, and I realised that I was crying, and I slowly slipped back out of Sensory Alert.

This was why I had left Elaine, why I was avoiding everyone as of late.

I knew how dangerous I could be, especially now, after my recent run-ins with the different kinds of blood, Brooke's, other humans, my own, another vampires...

I wasn't strong enough to resist any more, so I was lowering the risk of my losing control but lessening the time I spent around humans.

Of course, as they were my friends, an oddly demanding and dependent group of people, they were also very eager to _force _me to spend time with them. Which could, ultimately, be their downfall.

They were so sure, so certain that I was completely safe, a dog with a muzzle, but I the muzzle I wore was very close to coming loose, and I didn't want them to know, I didn't want them to find out, especially in the way I knew was probably inevitable... the hard way, this time, was me killing or seriously injuring one or more of them, or other people, and I couldn't handle the thought of that.

So, I stayed away.  
But they didn't know why.  
And that made them all too curious.

* * *

(A/N): So, what did you think?

Also, it's self-harm awareness day today, (march 1st!) and no one in my entire school other than me is wearing an orange ribbon, or has butterflies on their wrist for the butterfly project, or 'LOVE' on their arms, for the Writing Love on Her Arm project... kind of disappointing really.


	132. Angst Warning: Weakness

(A/N): H-hey Guys! Now, don't kill me! I know I haven't updated in _ages, _but I promise you, I have good reasons.

1) School.

School is a bitch, you all know this.

2) My Boyfriend.

He's reading this, wave readers! I've spent a lot of time with him recently, and I haven't had the chance to write.

3) Writer's Block.

God that sucked ass.

4) Emotional problems.

Frankly, I've been feeling pretty horrible, which is mainly why this chapter is so angst-y. If you can't tell, I can relate to Leo a lot.

5) Writing.

Camp NaNoWriMo has just started, and I have to write a novel for school, plus I was writing on a new Supernatural/Maximum Ride crossover.

There's more than that, but eh... sorry guys.

Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognise as belonging to J.K. Rowling or anyone else.

* * *

Leo

After the incident with Brooke, and the almost accident with Elaine, I spent most of my time away from Elaine and Remus, who had apparently kept this a secret from the others, seeing as on the rare occasions where I did see them, they mentioned that they thought I had been with the other two.

To avoid them properly, and not give them a chance to find me in a usually deserted corridor, I hid, either in hidden passageways, or sometimes, up on the roof of the astronomy tower, where no one would find me, especially not them.

After the first night of sleeping on the hard ground, I made a quick trip to the Room of Requirement in the dead of night to collect a pillow and some blankets, only to find Elaine inside, bent over one of the tables, fast asleep.

After grabbing my supplies, I picked her up, cradling her carefully in my arms, but far away from my face, holding my breath, before placing her gently on a couch I had procured, and draping one of the blankets over her.

A moment of hesitance, listening to her steady breathing, before leaning down, brushing her temple with my lips.

I exited the room hurriedly, half-scared that she would wake up because of the kiss, and half scared she would wake up because of how I had avoided them.

With a deep breath of the cool air as soon as I had left the Room of Requirement, I set off at a quick gait, knowing no one would be around to see me other than teachers, and I could avoid them pretty easily.

I made my way to one of the secret passageways, one on the fourth floor. It was disused other than by me, I could tell by the smell, and it had a minimal amount of spiders, so I was pretty comfortable.

I organised most of the blankets on the floor, for padding, before crawling on top of them, my head resting softly on the pillow, the remaining blanket draped over me, just for comfort sake, seeing as I didn't really get cold any more.

I curled up into a ball, my arms circling my lower legs, pulling them closer to my chest. It was like I was holding myself together, almost, and I couldn't stop. I fought back tears, I had to. I buried my face in my pillow, sighing deeply.

I drew my head back before slamming it forwards again into the pillow, able to feel the cold and hard ground below it, and a dull ache began to form in the front of my head.

I stopped after a minute or two, breathing deeply, not from the exertion, but from my own feelings.

"What am I doing?!" I groaned, rubbing my face against the material of the pillow, tears leaking freely from the corner of my eyes, no longer in my control.

I was avoiding all of my friends – because I couldn't control my stupid _urges! _

How weak was I, to choose this way out?

Of course, I knew it was for the best, that they were safer without me, and that it was just my killer subconscious that wanted me back with them, so it could wait for the opportune moment to strike out and hurt them, but it was a very convincing argument that was raging inside my head.

I was weak, whichever way you looked at it, and I _hated _being weak.

Of course, I had always been weak, my mother had drilled that into my head at an early age.

Not that I usually took anything my mother said seriously, but after a while, it started to get to you, eat away at you, until you were exactly what she said you were, and that's what had happened to me. After so long of being told I was weak, I became weak.

I hated it, but there was nothing I could do.

There was no option to just, 'be stronger'.

With someone like me, after I become weak, I can't go back, and I have been weak for a very, very long time.

I hate it, and I hate myself for it, especially when I see how strong everyone else around me is, and then I realise, that I'm not.

I'm not them.

I'm weaker.

And uglier.

And horrible in every single way.

And I've always been like this, ever since I was kid, ever since I was born.

Hell, probably even before that.

Something in my DNA was wrong, came out wrong, and so did I.

Here I was, curled up under some blankets in an empty passage, while my friends worried about me. I was scaring them, and all I needed to do was suck it up, and keep my urges in check, but I was too weak to even do that, so I avoided them like the black plague.

I knew that, eventually, they would find me, but I also knew that, the longer I put it off, the better it would be for their health, and that was all I really cared about at the moment.

If I couldn't spend time with them, then I could at least protect them from afar, from myself, and anything else that might come at them.

Which, knowing them, it inevitably would.

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(A/N): So, what did you think?


	133. Sweet Dreams and Ruined Shoes

(A/N): Hey Guys! You asked (begged) for another chapter, so here it is! I should be getting started on my Camp NaNoWriMo stuff for today... I hope you enjoy this!

Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognise as belonging to J.K. Rowling or anyone else.

* * *

Leo

Of course, during this time, I still had to go to classes.

I continued to sit with Elaine and Remus, to keep up the façade to the others that I wasn't avoiding them, and had to thusly leave the classroom quicker than them in order to avoid having them corner and question me.

They stopped the others from suspecting anything by covering for me, saying that I was with them when, in reality, they had no clue where I was.

I even spent rare times with the others, the amount of time I usually would, so they wouldn't get their panties in a bunch and question Elaine and Remus, only to find out that they hadn't seen me either.

I was also avoiding Brooke, which was, unfortunately, a lot harder than avoiding Remus and Elaine.

I had to be alert at all times, barely managing to escape her almost finding me many times.

The only spots I knew I was safe was up on the astronomy tower, or in the dark forest.

During this time, I hunted more and more often, knowing that it would help with my cravings for human blood, but I also felt sickened by myself every time I did so.

Especially the first time I hadn't been able to control myself, and had killed a deer.

It hadn't quite satiated my thirst, even after draining it, and I moved onto the next deer, but I knew, I knew that I had killed it, it's body still warm but cooling quickly, and I also knew that the acromantula's would find it soon, which I was somewhat glad about.

At least if the acromantula's got it, Hagrid, or anyone else for that matter, wouldn't see it, and the acromantula's would be less likely to try and kill me if I encountered one.

I felt bad for killing it, seeing as I usually only leave them weakened, but I also knew that it was probably going to come down to either a deer, or a human.

I zoomed around the forest for about an hour after all, trying to wear myself out, but upon failing that, I decided to train for a little bit.

I threw punches left and right, with the speed of an agile cat, lashing out with my feet, taking down invisible enemies, parrying blows that didn't exist, before one of my round house kicks was aimed at the trunk of a tree.

The top half of the tree had been sheared off somehow, but it was still over six foot tall, and at least three foot in diameter.

With a loud crack, a few creaks and a groan, the tree was uprooted, leaning against the trunk of another tree, halfway out the ground, a split in the bark where my foot had struck it, and I stared for a second, my foot slightly numb from the impact.

My foot became cold, and upon glancing down, I noticed that my shoe was now practically shredded, the sole having been pounded flat against the tree, now mostly peeled away due to the lack of material holding together, and there were tears along the top surface due to the material having been ripped away so harshly.

After staring down at my ruined shoe, I shrugged, and removed them, not that it was all that hard on my left foot, the one that had struck the tree.

Patting the ground softly with my feet, now only covered by socks, I shrugged, not really seeing all that much of a difference between wearing shoes and not.

Angling my feet against the pine needles that littered the forest floor, I took off at my fastest run, easily avoiding the tree trunks speeding toward me with my vampire speed and reflexes, before exploding out of the tree line, quickly approaching the castle, barely slowing as I pressed the balls of my feet against the ground, pushing off of the ground, soaring through the air.

It was an experiment really, to see how high I could actually jump.

I caught hold of a windowsill on the fifth floor, swinging myself upwards, scaling the side of the building, my fingers grabbing the tiniest of notches in the bricks, window sills and drain pipes, until I was on the roof high above.

It wasn't quite the roof of the astronomy tower, it was the roof of the Gryffindor tower, which was over seven stories tall.

I decided that I would need a new pair of shoes for classes tomorrow, so, holding on tightly to the gutter edging the roof of the tower, I leant down, gently pushing the window to the bathroom open.

Swinging my leg over the edge of the roof, I found the ledge with my foot, gripping the gutter with my fingers as I did the same with the other leg.

I released the gutter with one hand, grabbing the top of the window opening, before noticing the rather distinct dips in the metal, where I had gripped it with my fingers.

Perhaps I had grabbed it a little bit too tightly then... oops...

I jumped down onto the bathroom floor, landing silently on the balls of my feet, seeing perfectly in the gloom of the unlit bathroom.

I crossed the room and, as quietly as possible, I opened the door to the bathroom, finding my bed in the room crowded with dirty clothes belonging to the other boys.

I could tell Remus was awake but he didn't turn his head, so I figured that he hadn't heard me.

As quickly, and quietly, as possible, I filled a bag with clothes, and grabbed a spare pair of shoes, before crossing the room again, using vampire speed.

I closed the bathroom door behind me, and felt Moony's breathing speed up.

"Leo?!" I winced, knowing that he had woken up the other boys, judging by the way they had jolted.

"What? Is he here?" Sirius questioned, mostly asleep, but I was already out the window, bag slung over my shoulder, gripping the roof tiles, pulling myself up by digging my forearms downwards, and swinging my legs up, just as Remus burst into the bathroom.

"Leo?" He sounded perplexed, and in a normal situation, this would have amused me, but now I only frowned.

"You must have dreamt it Moony." Sirius told him with a yawn, patting him on the shoulder before he returned to his bed, Peter never having gotten out of his, while Remus and James shared a look.

They knew I had been there, that Remus hadn't been dreaming.

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(A/N): So, what did you think?

This chapter is mainly to show how Leo's abilities are progressing, so, yeah.


	134. Wake Up Call

(A/N): Hey Guys! Crap, crap, CRAP! I only just realised this chapter was missing, a few weeks after I uploaded the next one... oops. That must have confused you guys pretty majorly...

Disclaimer: I own nothing except my own stupidity... now where did I put that receipt?

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Remus

I was shaken awake the next morning by Elaine, who held up a finger to tell me to be quiet.

She dragged me out of bed and gripped my wrist tightly, pulling me through the corridors to the Room of Requirement.

"Elaine, what's going on?" I asked as we entered, before the sight before me answered my question.

In front of me was a circle, made up by ingredients, ingredients I recognised as being vital for the animagus transformation.

"Elaine..." I said warningly, but she shushed me. Actually _shushed _me!

She stepped into the circle, moving to pop a bay sprig in her mouth.

"Don't." Both of us jumped in surprise, turning to see Leo leaning against one of the tables.

"I'll do what I want." Elaine told him defensively, moving again.

"Don't." Leo said again, standing in front of Elaine, now with the bay sprig in his hand.

"Why?" She growled, and I could tell that she was resisting the urge to stomp her foot.

"Because if you do it like that, you _will_ die." Elaine and I stared at him for a minute, and he shrugged. "Or at least lose a limb." He snapped a single leaf off the bay sprig and handed it to her, leaving the rest on a table. "Don't chew." She stared at him with wide eyes before nodding sharply.

"Sit." She hesitated for a second before doing as he said.

With her in the centre of the circle, he studied the ingredients for a minute, rearranging some, breaking bits off others.

"Okay, you should be good." Elaine stared at him before she raised her wand, pointing it at herself, and starting to chant.

"Proserpina, dea mutationem-"

"That's an a, not an e." Leo told her. Several times. Eventually, he just sighed, took out his own wand, and did it himself.

""Proserpina, dea mutationem nobis pro nobis melius mutare, coibant cum spiritus animalis. Concede nobis ut cum ipsis verus Deus Persephone!" The ingredients started to glow, and Elaine's eyes widened in terror.

""Spiritus animalis apparent!" There was a slight flash, not actually bright, but more blurring Elaine's form. Then, the flash disappeared, and she started to change.

"Moony, get out." Leo's tone was serious, completely so, and I headed for the door without question, closing it tightly behind me.

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(A/N): Sorry for the mixup guys!


	135. Confession and Change

(A/N): Hey Guys! Finally, another chapter! I wrote this at school and had to change the PoV just then when I typed it up. I hope you like it!

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

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Leo

I remembered when I had first changed, and the cheetah's mind had surfaced. It had been easy for me to control, seeing as how I had the same powerful, animalistic instinct inside of me all the time, but I knew it wouldn't be the same way for Elaine, and I didn't want Moony, who was practically human at this point, in the same room as her when she did.

Her body shifted and twisted, and though I knew that she was experiencing no pain, I flinched nonetheless.

Half a minute later, her change was complete, and before me stood a wolf.

Her eyes found me, _her _eyes, before they darkened slightly, only enough to be seen by my heightened senses.

Her lips peeled back in a snarl, revealing sharp canine teeth.

Seemingly without warning, she lunged at me, teeth bared and headed straight for my throat.

I definitely would have had the power to fight her off, or the speed to evade her, but I didn't want to hurt her, so I just didn't move.

Her teeth gouged my shoulder, her clawed paws slashing at my arms and sides. A sharp spike of pain coursed through me, but I did my best to ignore it.

After about half a minute, the wolf slowed, pulling back carefully.

The eyes I saw now were hers, Elaine's. And in them I saw my own reflection, my throat shredded, blood staining my shirt and flecking my face.

Elaine's form melted, and soon she was sitting on my thigh's, staring down at me, horrified.

"Leo..." She breathed, tears starting to streak down her face.

"Yeah?" She seemed surprised to hear me answer.

I sat up, not even wincing. Or, rather, hiding my wince exceptionally. The wounds were already starting to knit themselves back together.

"Where's Remus?" She asked, biting her lip, and twisting around to look for him.

"Out here. Can I come back in now?" I kept my eyes on Elaine who was staring, wide-eyed, at the wounds she had caused.

"Yeah. Come on in." The door behind me opened, and Remus entered, gasping as he saw the back of my blood soaked t-shirt.

"What happened?" He cried, and Elaine flinched.

"The wolf mind." She whispered, and I frowned.

"I should have told you." Elaine's head snapped up.

"This happened with the cheetah mind? Did you attack anyone?" I chuckled darkly, shaking my head.

"Oh please, animal mind is easy compared to vampire mind." Remus stared at the back of my head.

"You didn't answer the question. Did you attack anyone?" I froze.

"Not in animagus form." I told them tightly, quietly, avoiding both sets of eyes.

"Madam Pomfrey." Elaine supplied, but Remus shook his head.

"I mean actually attack. Attack as in, make contact with the person." They both looked to me again, and I hesitated for a second before nodding.

"Who?" Elaine asked in a hushed tone, and I looked at her with tortured eyes.

"Brooke." Elaine glanced at Remus.

"And that, that was Brooke." Remus quoted me, nodding as he finally understood.

"It wasn't-" They both stared at me expectantly. "It wasn't completely my fault." I told them, raising his eyes to look at Elaine again." "She was hurt, bleeding, and asked me to heal her... I lost control." I said, releasing a shuddering breath.

"Vampire venom has healing properties." Elaine chimed in, obviously remembering our little talk after she had been bitten by Jonothan.

"Well, you're fine now-" My head snapped up before I shook it.

"No, I'm not!" Why do you think I've been avoiding all of you? Why do you think I avoided Lily in first year? I'm afraid I'll do it again. I _will _do it again." I stared Elaine dead in the eye as I said this, not being able to do the same to Remus. "I'm just trying to keep you safe." I hesitated. "From me." I lifted Elaine off my lap with ease and headed for the door only to find that Remus had already blocked his way.

"Remus." I murmured, before meeting his eyes, my own slightly darkened due to lack of, and need for blood. "I need to hunt." With a tight swallow, the werewolf boy stepped out of my way, and I sped out of the Room of Requirement, through the corridors and out into the grounds, a bitter taste in my mouth.

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(A/N): So much has been accomplished! YES!


	136. Overhearing and Understating

(A/N): Hey Guys! Crap, I did it again! I caught this one a bit quicker though!

Disclaimer: I own nothing!

* * *

Leo

The more I drank, the faster my wounds healed.

I still tried not to actually kill the deer, and sometimes rabbits, that I ate - well, drank - knowing it would remain a permanent stain on my soul if I did.

In Sensory Alert, as I was finishing off a deer, my hearing honed, I hears a conversation conducted high in the castle.

"But Leonides-" The voice, McGonagall's, was cut off.

"The boy is fine Minerva. He just needs time to... adjust." Dumbledore's raspy, respect-inducing voice said, and I frowned.

"He's tearing himself apart Albus, he needs some help." I wiped my mouth on my sleeve, glaring at the ground.

"I can hear you." I muttered bitterly, observing the group of people, teachers, high above me.

"Why not give him his own say in the matter?" Dumbledore asked, and I raised an eyebrow.

"Albus, are you joking?! He's just a boy, he-" I jumped into action, and cut Minnie off.

"I may be a kid Minnie, but I _am_ also a vampire." I told her quietly, my tone perfectly serious as she spun to face me, almost tripping on her robes, and even Dumbledore seemed surprised.

"That you are..." I hadn't paid much attention to Slughorn before now, but he was gaping at me now, more in awe than in shock like the other professor's.

"Leonides, you-" I cut Minnie off again, this time moving to the thick rafters above her head.

"I what?" Everyone's head snapped up.

"This isn't the time for game's Leonides." Professor Sprout told me frostily, and I stared at her.

"Then stop pretending I'm a toy." I advised them, giving them a tight smile before moving to one of the spare wooden chairs.

"We are not-" I cut Slughorn off this time.

"You are. You're acting like I'm your own little toy, harmless, like I can't make my own choices, like I can't hear you, but I can." I flicked my gaze to each one one of them, making sure that they understood.

"Now, what's this about me needing help?" The teachers glanced to each other.

"Well, Leonides-" I flinched.

"Don't call me that." They paused for a second, staring, before smartly averting their gazes.

"Well, Leo, we know, now, that a vampire, being in a cramped space with humans as many as those here at Hogwarts, can suffer some... complications when it comes to keeping in control of their urges to feed." Dread filled my stomach. Was this about Brooke?

"We thought you might like some help with that." Minnie informed me, sending Dumbledore a sharp glare the whole time.

"That-" I paused, composing myself at they watched me, waiting for my reply. "That would be nice." I lowered my gaze to the ground. "Thank you." With that, I disappeared, leaping out of the window to securely latch onto the castle wall across from it before quickly descending to the ground, and returning to the forest, leaving my stunned professor's behind me.

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(A/N): So, what did you think?


	137. We Help the Hopeless

(A/N): Hey Guys! So, it's the last day of school, I'm currently in maths, supposed to be doing online work, but last time I checked my account wasn't working, so I decided to write. I still don't have my microsoft word back on my school laptop, so I have to write this in the document editter. Sorry for any mistakes.

Okay, wow, I only just finished this, its been almost two weeks now... *cringe* sorry guys!

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my numerous OC's and their backstories.

* * *

Leo

A week later, and it was time for our first trip to Hogsmeade village.

The day before, Minnie had held me back after class to inform me of a meeting I was supposed to attend, in Hogsmeade, to help me keep in control.

I met everyone else in the entrance hall, and we set off towards Hogsmeade with the rest of the students from 3rd year and up.

Together we went to Honeydukes, but then I split off from the rest of the group to find the Hogs head- and my mysterious companion.

Upon entering the Hogs head, it was almost empty, and I immediately knew why.

At the end of the bar was a vampire.

When a vampire was around, most other people vacated the premises- it was just a smart thing to do.

I, however, moved towards them, and sat down on the stool next to them.

"Are you the one I'm here to meet?" I asked quietly, one eyebrow poised as I stared them down, my expression otherwise blank and serious.

"Do you see any other vampires around?" The man asked snarkily, but I smiled, tilting my head slightly.

"I don't know, my eyesight isn't that great. And gods knows why anyone would breathe in, in this dump." The owner, who I knew was Dumbledore's brother by the smell of him, gave me a dark look, and I winked cheekily.

"Smells like goat crap." Was all the man spat, and I looked to the surface of the bar for a second, before swiping the man's glass, downing the alcohol in one.

Everyone else in the bar stared for a second before hastily averting their eyes, but the man huffed.

"You shouldn't have done that." I smirked, shrugging.

"Vampire, remember? Neither of us can get drunk anyway." The man glanced at me, finally, revealing deep green eyes.

"Not because of that." Without warning, I felt the man's hand make contact with my chest, and send me flying back.

In normal circumstances, I would have crashed through the wall of the bar, but I flung my hands out, catching the thin, weak wooden beam that held up the roof, and hauled myself up.

Before the vampire had time to look up, I made sure I was behind him, and landed a heavy blow to his spine, sending him forward a foot or two.

The man spun growling, but I didn't back down.

I could see that the man had entered Sensory Alert and I did the same, not wanting to lose to this man, not now, not ever, even though I knew I inevitably would.

The man threw out his arm, aiming for my face, and I let him hit me, landing a kick to the man's shoulder before spinning, and landing another to his ribs.

My face was stinging, my lip bleeding, but I swung out a hand, aiming for the man's face, and while he was preoccupied, I kicked him in the knee as the man tried to twist my arm, only to have me spin out of his grasp.

"You're quick, I'll give you that." The man said gruffly with a grin. In a flash, the man grabbed my arm in one hand, his other arm grabbing me around the side, spinning me and moving to pin me to the ground.

I rolled to one side, striking out with my leg, hitting the man in the stomach, but he put a knee across the back of my legs, one hand on the back of each shoulder.

"I see we have quite some work to do, Leonides." I slipped out of Sensory Alert, silently fuming. Not because I had lost, no, I had become used to that by now, but because this man, whose name I didn't even know, was assuming to take over all of my training.

That was my father and Shari's job, and maybe Lisbet's, not this man's.

"And who is _we?"_ I asked, rubbing my cheek as the man let me up.

"I'm Greygorry Chant." I screwed my face up. It was like a french man saying Gregory. Gregory _shant. _Shant what? What shan't Gregory do?

"Leonides Joannis." The man smirked, shaking hands with me.

"Oh, I know who you are. Even if your teachers hadn't told me, the whole vampire population knows who you are Leonides. _What _you are." He frowned. "And most of them don't like that." I rolled my eyes, smirking slightly, though I knew exactly how much they didn't like it.

"Yeah well, they can shove it." The man raised an eyebrow, shaking his head slightly.

"You're extremely cocky for a _half _vampire." I dropped the smirk, glaring at the Greygorry.

"If I'm not cocky, I'll be eaten alive." I paused for a second, head tilting to one side as I considered it. "Knowing the other vampires, that's probably somewhat literal." Greygorry didn't laugh. I did notice the corner of his lips twitch up briefly, though I didn't have time to determine whether it was out of amusement or contempt.

"You best be careful Leonides, you don't know who might be listening in." He kept his eyes on my face, but I could tell that he was keeping track of every single being in that bar, from the six foot man at the bar, to the termites that were steadily eating away at a section of the wall.

"Don't call me that." I told him quietly, all pretence gone, an honest request, and with a short pause and moment of consideration, he nodded.

"Alright. Leo it is."

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(A/N): So, new chapter! What did you think? Are my names getting too confusing or what?


	138. Mother Of Mine

(A/N): Hey Guys! So, first day back at school today, and I wrote the next six chapters of this story while I was there. I hope you enjoy the chapters ahead!

Discalimer: I own nothing you recognise.

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Leo

I rejoined my group of friends at around noon, and became subjected to torturous inquiry.

"Oh my god..." Elaine murmured as I approached them where they sat outside of Zonko's joke shop. Only Elaine and Remus were outside, the other boys still in the store, and I knew that Lily was in Gladrags across the street.

"What the hell happened?" Remus asked darkly, not seeming at all surprised.

"I got hit." I told them dryly, and Elaine cupped my face in her hands, and I forced myself not to wince as she ran a finger over the bruise on my cheek.

"It..." Remus began, scrutinising the wound. "It looks old." I shrugged rolling my eyes.

"Vampire healing powers, remember?" Elaine frowned, staring at the ground for a second.

"Wait, you mean it was worse than this?" I shrugged again, and she scowled.

"What the hell did you get hit by, a bear?" Remus exclaimed, and I grinned, shaking my head.

"Close. It was a vampire." Their eyes widened and they glanced at each other before back to me.

"Why? What did it want?" Elaine questioned, and I shook my head.

"I can't tell you that." Within a second, their expressions darkened.

"Leo, you secretive-!" The door behind us opened, and the boys tumbled out, laughing hard before they caught sight of Remus and Elaine's expressions, and the bruise on my cheek.

"Er..." James was the first to snap out of his daze, and pushed the other boys in front of him. "Come on, let's go to the Three Broomsticks. I'm buying!" James shot me a look before shuffling off after the boys, leaving me alone with my two best friends once more.

"Leo..." Remus said tightly, and I could tell he was angry.

"Leonides!" I winced at the use of my full name, but more so at the voice behind it. I turned slowly, and a single word fell from my moth as I recognised their face.

"Mom..."

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(A/N): So, what did you think?

I know you must be getting pretty sick of plot twists, and Leo's mum showing up...

Please review and/or check out my other stories!


	139. Revelations and Merlin's Name

(A/N): Hey Guys! So, here's the next chapter!

Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognise.

* * *

Elaine

My eyes widened as the word 'mom' reached my ears, and I raised my gaze to the woman a few yards away. After hearing what little I had about Cipicia Joannis, I grasped Remus's hand in terror, and he gripped mine in return.

Leo was even paler than usual, and as I flicked my gaze between them, I realised what Leo had meant when he said he had received his looks from his mother.

Her hair was pale blonde, shining like white gold in the midday sun, he skin pale, her eyes a bright blue, though not as bright as her son's. Unlike his though, her lips were thin and these paired with the sharp look in her eyes truly made her look deadly.

Off in the distance, I saw professor McGonagall, and I knew I had to get her attention.

"Leo, dearest, how are you?" I blinked in surprise at the kind words that flew from her mouth like daggers.

"I'm well, mother." Her smile was feral, stalking forward until she was only a foot away from Leo, and two feet from Remus and I.

"I'm so glad." The dead look in her eye told us she wasn't, and she grabbed his face, her sharpened, elongated nails digging into his skin where the bruise marred it, but he refused to show the pain it was causing him. "And how is Mia?" She asked, her voice deathly quiet, and sweet like poison.

"I wouldn't know. I haven't spoken to her in years." Cipicia's eyes narrowed, but she nodded nonetheless, releasing his face and retreating a few feet.

Without warning, she raised her wand, and uttered a word that sent chills down my spine.

"Crucio!" Leo's knee's buckled, and he collapsed to the ground writhing in pain, and all I could think about was why he hadn't moved out of the way.

I dropped to my knees beside him, glancing between the mother and son, locking eyes with Cipicia.

"Don't hurt him!" I pleaded, and one eyebrow twitched upwards.

The spell cut off and she lowered her wand for a second, before she levelled it at my face.

"Cru-" I squeezed my eyes shut, preparing myself for the pain about to hit me, but it never came. Instead, I heard a loud crash.

As I opened my eyes, I saw Leo standing in front of me, back to me, his mother on the ground a few metres away, smashed through a wooden fence, blood seeping from a small cut on her forehead.

She stared at us, and her gaze shot up as I heard footsteps racing towards us.

I checked to see who it was, praying for a teacher and getting my wish. By the time McGonagall had reached us, Cipicia had taken off, and was long gone.

"What in the name of Merlin just happened?!" She cried, and Remus explained.

I reached a hand out, but just as it touched Leo's shoulder he jolted, spinning, and I saw a different face than what I was used to.

His normally bright blue eyes were darkened, his pupils wider, his already pale skin bleached of what little colour it had, and as he panted in breath, his lips parted to reveal lengthened, razor sharp teeth.

His stance was low and defensive, a quiet growl escaping his throat before his face went slack, and in a blink, he had disappeared.

As I turned to see if Remus and McGonagall had caught it, I saw another stunned face.

Sirius's.

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(A/N): More plot twists!

Please check out my other stories!

P.S: I've stopped saying 'please review and/or check out my other stories' because I figure I've got more reviews than I do chapters, and while I love the feedback I'm getting, I don't want to force you into doing this.

But I would be very happy if you would check out my other stories.


	140. Secrets and Bitty's

(A/N): Hey Guys! So, this is the next chapter... I hope you like it!

Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognise.

* * *

Remus

"Wait, wait. So, what you're telling me, is that Leo," Sirius paused for a second, eyes widened. "Our friend Leo... Is a vampire?" Elaine and I shared a weak look.

"Pretty much." Elaine replied, and his gaze fell as he mulled this new information over.

"Exactly." I added, and Sirius locked eyes with me.

"So... that's how Leo knew you were a werewolf?" I shrugged.

"I guess so." Sirius nodded, still looking dumbstruck.

"I-" Elaine was cut off as a man entered the Hog's Head, and McGonagall jumped up.

"Greygorry!" The man remained expressionless. "Leo has run off, and I was wondering-" Greygorry rolled his eyes.

"You were wondering if I can catch him and bring him back." McGonagall nodded, and Greygorry.

"This is going to take a while." McGonagall raised an eyebrow. "Leonides may be cocky, but he's fast, I'll give him that. And if he doesn't want to return, I won't be able to force him." McGonagall scoffed.

"He's a half-vampire, you're a full-" Greygorry cut her off.

"Half-vampire, part veela. In about a year, he'll be stronger than the average vampire. As it is, he gave me a run for my money." He pulled up his shirt, revealing a set of bruises across the ribs. "Don't underestimate that boy, Minerva.

As Greygorry reached the door, Professor McGonagall seemed to remember something.

"Oh and Greygorry?" He turned his head to look at her. "If you see Cipicia out there..." She smiled slightly. "Kill her." She said simply.

Elaine and I slowly turned back to Sirius after Greygorry left without a word.

"Who was that?" Was Sirius's first question, and we shrugged.

"No clue." Sirius was silent for a minute.

"Wait a minute, that crazy blonde bitty was Leo's mom?!" Elaine and I glanced at each other before nodding.

"And he's a half-vampire, part veela." Elaine pointed out, but Sirius waved her off.

"That doesn't matter. She hit him with the cruciatus curse Laney! What the hell is going on?" Elaine gaped at him for a minute before crossing her arms over her chest.

"From what we can figure out, Leo's mom didn't know he was a vampire for years, and that's why she kicked him out when he was seven. She, and his stepfather, abused him, tortured him pretty much, and that's why Leo's so down on himself." She paused for a second, gathering herself. "He thinks he's a monster."

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(A/N): Please check out my other stories!


	141. I Don't Think We Knew About That

(A/N): Hey Guys! So, here's the next chapter, sorry for the wait.

Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognise.

* * *

Elaine

We joined James, Peter and Lily in the Three Broomsticks a little while later on McGonagall's request.

Remus, Sirius and I were worried about Leo, and I could tell that James was too. He had seen the bruise on Leo's face, and how pale we were, and Leo not being here with us was really causing him to worry.

We sent Lily and Peter to get us more butterbeer, and we filled James in.

"Wait, wait, so Prong's knows about this?" Sirius exclaimed quietly, and James shrugged.

"He told me first year, remember? I just didn't realise it until last year when we pulled the prank in the Great Hall." Sirius's eyes widened.

"And that's how he could hear McGonagall and Filch!" All three of us raised our eyebrows at Sirius.

"Lily-flower's coming back." James announced, grinning like the chesire cat, only to have her scoff at him.

"Don't call me that Potter." He pouted for a second, before smirking.

"Okay Evans." Lily blinked in surprise before scowling.

"Hey wait a minute," She said, looking around. "Where's Leo?" Remus and I glanced at each other.

"He-" A chair pulled out next to me.

"I'm right here." We stared at him in surprise, noticing that there was no longer a bruise on his face, though his lip showed signs of having been split at some stage.

It didn't look particularly recent, but I knew that it hadn't be there the last time I had seen him.

"I could see Sirius staring at him and shot him a look, but Leo had already seen it. He snagged Sirius's untouched butterbeer and sipped it, raising an eyebrow at me, angling his head towards Sirius.

I frowned and nodded, and Leo pursed his lips before sipping his drink again.

"Stop talking about me!" Sirius squealed, and both Leo and I stared at him in surprise. "I know you are. Can you just say things out loud?" Leo grinned, and shook his head.

"Can't do that Sirius, it just isn't in my nature." Leo may have been smiling, but he had one eyebrow cocked, and he showed no amusement in his eyes.

"Alright. We'll just have to change your nature." Lily and Peter chuckled, but the rest of us remained stoney faced.

The look on Sirius's face was determined and challenging, whereas Leo remained nonchalant, resting his glass on the table when he had finished with it.

"Why do I feel like there's something going on here?" Peter asked, and I raised an eyebrow at him.

"What do you mean?" Lily crossed her arms over her chest, staring us down.

"Like everyone here knows a secret that Peter and I aren't in on." Leo smirked slightly, but our conversation was interrupted as a pair of lips met Leo's cheek.

"Hey." Brooke greeted, and I couldn't help but glare at the girl.

"Hey!" Leo replied, and I was surprised by the excitement in his voice.

"Can I talk to you?" He glanced back at the others, and Lily waved him away, forcing a smile.

Brooke took his hand and he led her away to the other side of the room.

"What the hell?!" Lily growled, dropping the smile.

"Does anyone know when that happened?" Sirius asked, looking at Remus and I.

"I don't think we knew about that." Remus said quietly, resting his hand on mine in an attempt to comfort me.

"I hate her so much!" I grumbled, and James raised his eyebrows at me, grinning.

"Ready to admit that you like him?" I scowled.

"I already have! I like Leo, I like him a lot. He was my first kiss, and now he's with that hussy-" I realised that the others were gaping at me.

"What?"

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(A/N): Hehe, hussy...

So, what did you think?


	142. Cold Blooded

(A/N): New chapter, I feel like shit, so I'm probably going to just wallow for the rest of the night. I hope you like this chapter.

Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognise.

* * *

Leo

I froze.

Elaine likes me!

She admitted it, she actually does like me. I let myself rejoice for a second. But... so does Brooke.

I focused on Brooke again, and she was smirking at me.

"You heard her too, huh?" I flushed, and she shook her head.

"Leo..." I shook my head again, giving her a stern look, but she waved me off.

"Leo, you and Elaine are-" Hands seized my arms.

"Destined to be together?" James asked from my left side.

"Perfect for each other?" Sirius suggested, both of them glaring at Brooke.

"Pretty much." She said, grinning and I gave her a dark look. "Alright, alright Mr. Grumpy Pants." She said, sticking her tongue out at me.

"A visit from the head hag gives me reason to be grumpy." Brooke looked confused.

"Who?" I shrugged.

"My mother showed up earlier." Brooke's mouth fell open.

"That bitch was here? In Hogsmeade?" The boys seemed surprised.

"Wait a minute, you know about Leo's mom?" Sirius asked, and Brooke scowled.

"Know about? I've met Cipicia... and I'd rather not be reunited with her." I glanced back at the table where Elaine was still sitting, and I remembered the horror I had felt when Elaine had been at the end of my mother's wand.

"Neither would I. But apparently, I don't have a choice in the matter." Brooke frowned, placing a hand on my shoulder.

"Leo..." I shrugged her off, shooting her an apologetic look.

"No matter how hard I try to avoid her, she always finds me. Before this summer, I hadn't seen her, for almost three years. I thought I was safe, but I'm not... and neither are you guys." They stared at me. "Elaine showed that she cared about me, and my mother was going to kill her, or worse, torture her, knowing that I cared about her as well. She's a cold-blooded killer, she doesn't care about anything but herself."

"Leo..." James whispered, and I could hear the fear in his voice.

"She will kill you just to hurt me, and she'll enjoy every second of it. It's just what she does."

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(A/N): So, what did you think?


	143. Stupid Thing

(A/N): Hey guys! So, here's the next chapter.

Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognise.

* * *

Elaine

"Elaine! Tell us!" Oddly enough, that wasn't Lily, it was Remus.

"It wasn't anything!" I exclaimed exasperatedly. "It was an accident; I fell on him, our lips touched. Nothing major!" Lily frowned, her forehead wrinkling.

"Did you pull away straight after?" Lily asked, and I hesitated.

"No." Remus beamed."

"Did Leo?" I shook my head. "See? He likes you!" I scoffed.

"Elaine, Leo may never make the first move. You've said it yourself, he doesn't have _any_ self esteem. But he does like you, he really, really does." Lily said, placing her hand on mine.

"Yeah, he even admitted it." Lily and I spun to gape at Remus, and Lily smacked him on the arm.

"What the hell?! Why didn't you tell us?" Remus winced, shrugging weakly.

"He's my best friend Lily and... oh my god." His eyes widened. "I just told my best friend's crush that he liked them." Lily and I giggled as he fretted.

A chair pulled out, and I looked up to see Leo.

"Leo! What- what are you doing back here?" Remus stammered, and Leo stared at him weirdly.

"Yeah, shouldn't you be with your girlfriend?" Lily asked, somewhat bitterly, and I sagged slightly, remembering Brooke.

"She's not my girlfriend." All three of us raised an eyebrow, no matter how nervous Remus might have been.

"Oh?" I asked, trying to seem nonchalant, and he shrugged.

"She's just a girl who's a friend." Remus rolled his eyes.

"A female friend who has openly admitted to thinking you're cute." He pointed out, and Leo flushed slightly.

"Yeah, but so has most of the Hogwarts population." Lily piped up, and Leo shot her a dark look.

"Wrongly so. But still, Brooke and I are nothing but friends." He fixed us with a stern look, which was completely ruined as Brooke kissed him, straight on the mouth.

I gaped, staring at the two, before pushing my chair back, trying to get away from there as fast as possible.

Remus

Lily and I watched Elaine go, wanting to go after her, before turning around to glare at Brooke and Leo, who were just now parting.

"What was that for?" Brooke shrugged.

"I like ruining your points." She glanced in the direction Elaine had ran. "Now, are you going to go after her, or not?" Leo shook his head, so she glared at him, grabbing him by the shirt and pulling him part way out of his chair so that their faces were only inches apart. Again. "So help me, if you don't go after her right now, I will smack you into next month." She growled in a voice deathly low, and Leo rolled his eyes, standing under his own power.

"Alright, alright. Just don't expect me to come back alive." Leo left at a quick pace in the same direction Elaine had done, and Brooke sat down.

"That boy is so bloody clueless."

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(A/N): Also, can I just point out that, if it all goes to plan, Leo's mum is still alive in Harry's generation.


	144. Wanted - Dead or Alive

(A/N): Hey Guys! So, I'm currently in PLP. I did work experience last week, and I've been super busy and tired, so I haven't been writing, so sorry!

Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognise.

* * *

Leo

I waited until after she had gotten back into the castle - rather a lengthy wait if you ask me, my god humans were slow- before grabbing her arm gently, directing her more than dragging her, to the Room of Requirement.

"Damsel..." She refused to look at me. "Elaine." Her eyes darted to me before she could stop them, and I caught th look in her eye.

"Look, I know you don't like Brooke-" She cut me off, with a slap to the face.

The actual impact didn't hurt, but it pained me inside.

"This isn't about Brooke!" I stared at her for a second, taking a step back as I surveyed the rage in her eyes, surrounded by something else- sorrow, pain.

"Then what is it about?" I asked quietly, and she gaped up at me, beautiful brown eyes swimming with tears. She seemed to choke for a second, before her gaze dropped to the ground and she crossed her arms over her chest.

"It doesn't matter." She spat bitterly, and I reached out, barely brushing her chin with my fingertips as I pushed her head up.

"Obviously..." I said, staring at her closely. "It does." She remained perfectly still for a second, before she shook her head, as if shaking herself out of a daze.

"Who was that?" I watched her, confused as to who she was talking about, curious, even though I knew it was just an attempt to change the subject.

"Who was who?" She shook her head quickly, a weak smile flitting on and away from her lips.

"Greygorry Chant." I paused for a second, before nodding slowly in understanding.

"I'm guessing you saw him before he came after me?" She frowned for a minute, before looking up at me again.

"So, who was he? And why did McGonagall think he could bring you back?" I chuckled quietly, though it was weak, and somewhat forced.

"He's a vampire." She rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, we got that already." I smiled at her, indulgently now.

"Dumbledore and the other professors have employed him to... train me, kind of?" She gave me a sceptical look, but I raised an eyebrow at her. "I'm telling the the truth this time, really." She waited a second, before nodding.

"I know, you didn't do the eye twitch-y thing. I just wanted to watch you squirm." I stared at her, perplexed.

"'Eye twtch-y thing'?" I asked, but she just shrugged. "So, if it's not Brooke, then why are you upset?" I knew it wasn't Brooke, and I knew exactly what it actually was, and part of me couldn't believe that I hadn't seen it before now, and that part also wanted her to admit it, but the other part of me, the part that told me she had been lying when she had said she had liked me also wanted her not to admit it, because I knew there was no way we could ever be together, in any sense of the word, due to my condition.

"I just... You're my best friend Leo, you know? I don't want you to get hurt." In theory, it made sense. Very little sense, mind you, but sense nonetheless. But, seeing as I had been hurt more times than anyone on the planet, dead or alive, could count, I knew it wasn't true.

"I've been hurt before Damsel. Besides, Brooke and I aren't dating." I paused for a second. "At least... I think we aren't. You know, I'm not actually entirely sure." She chuckled quietly, weakly, before she could hellp herself, and I smiled down at her, even though I knew she wasn't looking, and fitted my arm across her shoulders.

"How are you holding up Leo?" I frowned for a second, before she elaborated. "You're mother paid us a little visit today, remember?" I nodded, dread suddenly filling me, again.

"You do realise, now that she's seen us together, knows that we're friends, that you, and the others, are all in danger now, right?" She nodded, pursing her lips.

"I figured as much, yeah." I stared at the side of her head.

"You... don't really sound all that worried." She smirked slightly, her eyes still puffy, and she looked so fragile that I just wanted to hug her as hard as I could, which kind of defeated the purpose seeing as it would probably kill her if I did.

"You know, that's because I'm not worried." I blinked in surprise. "Leo, we'll be fine, trust me. We can take care of ourselves, remember?" I rolled my eyes. "You're a half-vampire, part-veela animagus, Remus is a werewolf, I'm an animagus... we'll be fine. We can look after the others. Well, not so much Remus, he's practically useless unless it's a full moon, and even then he can't be around people."I glared at her, and she seemed taken aback by it.

"My mother is a very dangerous person Elaine, I don't think we'll be much of a problem to her if she decides to go on a killing spree, hell, she'll pprobably head straight for us first! Besides, she's a pureblood supremacist, what do you think she'd do to Lily if she got her hands on her?" Elaine winced. "She's a cold-blooded killer, and she's not just here to get her jolly's off, she's here for revenge." Elaine's head snapped up.

"Revenge?" I ignored her.

"She'll get her jolly's off while getting revenge, but let's face it, there's not really anything we, teenagers, can do not matter how skilled we are, because we're up against a woman who, probably quite literally, kills people and eats them for breakfast." Elaine stared at me. "Oh wait, she only eats babies and virgins, that's right, how silly of me..." I muttered, spinning, pretending to busy myself with one of the books on the tables.

"I'm not going to leave you alone with this Leo."

Silence.

"_We're_ not."

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(A/N): So, what did you think?

It's almost recess guys, so I gotta go, and I'm probably not going to get another chapter out today, I have drama next, probably no computers, and then Home ec, where I have to coook a pie.

Please review and/or check out my other stories!


	145. Lesson Number One

(A/N): Hey Guys! So, I only just remembered that, in Drama, which is where I am now, they're doing a play with the year 12's which I'm not a part of, so I have some free time while my teacher is instructing the other kids.

Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognise.

* * *

Leo

I wasn't sure as to how old Greygorry was exactly, but judging by how strong he was- vampires strength increases slightly each year in which they are alive- he was even older than my father was.

I groaned quietly as I hit the ground after having bounced off a tree, knowing I was lucky that he had been so gentle with me, even if he already had factured one or two of my bones.

Nothing broken yet, except for my pride, but I wasn't exactly feeling optimistic.

"Have you learnt yet?" I stared up at him, tasting my own blood as it seeped into my mouth, both out of the cut on my lip, and my nose.

"Learnt what?" I gasped, before spitting some of the blood out onto the ground.

"That patience is key." I glared at him. "You rush into things Leonides, always, without thinking of the consequences for yourself!" I scoffed.

"Of course I don't think! I don't have the luxury of worrying about what happens to me, I have people relying on me, people I care about!" Greygorry rolled his eyes.

"You need to learn!" He spat in my face, but I didn't show the slight fear I felt. I knew he could crush me like a bug, and I wouldn't put it past him to do so. "I am here to help you, and I can't do that if you aren't _willing!" _I crossed my arms over my chest, wincing lightly, avoiding looking at him. "This is only the first lesson Leonides... the first of many you must learn."

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(A/N): A short chapter, I know, I'm sorry!

Please review and/or check out my other stories!


	146. Flight of Fire

(A/N): Hey, still in Drama. Watching an absolutely terrible 'performance' of a midsummer's night's dream... no one's listening to the teacher.

Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognise.

* * *

Leo

I was fairly battered up by the time my training with Greygorry ended, and I went hunting in an attempt to at least half heal my injuries. When I returned tot he Gryffindor common room, it was well after dark, and it was empty, except for James, Sirius, Remus and Elaine.

They looked up, and their faces immediately turned into one of shock.

"Leo!" Elaine exclaimed quietly, jumping up and approaching me in a rush, her fingertips brushing the bruises I knew marred my pale skin.

"What the hell happened now..." Remus muttered, getting up from his precarious perch on the back of the couch.

"Did your mother come back?" Sirius asked, and I winced, but shook my head.

"I was training." Elaine's hand fell from my face slowly, before rising again.

"You've got a bit of..." She pressed the pad of her thumb against the corner of my lips, wiping slowly.

"Blood." James said, the first thing he had so far.

"Don't worry, it's not mine." Sirius stared at me for a second, before shaking his head.

"Right, I forgot... vampires need to feed." I smirked at him.

"Well, I would have been fine for a few more days food-wise, but I usually do feed after training, it helps to heal my wounds." James raised an eyebrow.

"What kind of training requires you to have to heal yourself afterwards?" He asked, half-suspiciously, but I shrugged.

"I train with vampires. _Full _vampires." Elaine lowered her gaze to the ground, and I noticed her rub her thumb on her pants.

"So what do you eat?" Sirius asked, and I narrowed my eyes at him slighty before pulling on a nonchalant look.

"Well, I'm extrememly partial to bunnies." Elaine glared at me.

"Now isn't the time to joke." I rolled my eyes.

"Then when is?" The others stared at me. "Look, my whole life is full of dangers, just because of the way I was born. I can't get brought down by every bad thing that happens to me, joking around is the best way to handle it. Besides, it's either bunnies or acromantula's." Elaine shuddered.

"What about the deer?" Remus asked, and I knew that, on occasions, he had slughtered the deer that roamed the forest, god knows why they did, seeing as they preyed upon by a whole manner of different predators.

"The deer are easier to accidentally kill, weirdly enough." Except for Remus, they all winced.

"I found that too! The necks are smaller on the rabbits, not as easy to rip the head off-" He halted, glancing at the others before swallowing thickly. "Rabbits are cute." Elaine raised an eyebrow at him.

"You'd be a great serial killer Moony, you're really good at covering your tracks." Sirius remarked, and Remus rolled his eyes.

"Anyway, back to the training." James said, returning the others attention to the point, where I didn't want it.

"What do you mean, 'training'?" Sirius asked, and even though Elaine new I had done some training in the past even she looked curious.

"This training is to help me keep in control of my urges." I sighed, dropping into one of the plush arm chairs.

"'_This_' training?" Elaine asked, not missing anything. "What about the training you were doing with Shari and you're father?" The other three looked surprised, even Remus.

"That training serves another purpose." As if on cue, they all narrowed their eyes at me. "It's for the war." Their eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"What war?" James asked, his voice, oddly enough, more full of curiosity than confusion.

"I don't know." I shrugged, and Sirius glared at me, his arms now crossed over his chest.

"Of course you don't." He remarked dryly, but Sirius rested a hand on his shoulder.

"He's not lying." Elaine said, and Remus finished it for her.

"He really doesn't know." James raised an eyebrow at Remus, before switching his gaze to me.

"What kind of idiot doesn't know what he's being trained for? Didn't you ask?" I glared at him, clenching my jaw as I scowled at him.

"Of course I asked, my father wouldn't tell me!" I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself as I lowered my gaze to the ground, crossing my arms over my chest. "But I trust him to do what's right for me. And you should too." Elaine frowned.

"Leo, there isn't any war at the moment." I raised my gaze until it met hers.

"Not yet there isn't." Sirius stared at me, eyebrows wrinkled.

"You mean there's going to be a war?" I shrugged as they all watched me, confused, frustrated, and I could feel, afraid.

"From what my father heard from the other vampires..." I hesitated, tilting my head. "Yeah."

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(A/N): So, what did you think?

Please Review and/or check out my other stories!


	147. The Hour of Darkness

(A/N): Hey Guys! Still in Drama, but lunch is in twenty minutes, so no promises!

Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognise.

* * *

Leo

Less than a month later, it was Christmas, or, well, Christmas Eve... and it was the full moon.

I had brought Remus to the Hospital Wing that morning, as he was too weak to walk, and as the sun started to fall, Elaine and I stood in the Entrance Hall, preparing ourselves.

"Are you nervous?" She turned her head to look at me.

"What?" I smiled slightly, I already knew she was nervous, I just wanted to see if she was going to try and play it cool.

"Are. You. Nervous?" She rolled her eyes, waving a hand at me.

"Of course not, it's just Remus after all." Even as she said it, I could tell by the healthy dose of fear pumping through her veins that she knew just how dangerous Remus could be.

"I can feel when you're scared, remember?" She froze, before sighing.

"I hate that." I grinned at her, taking her hand in mine.

"I know you do Damsel." She rolled her eyes at me, and silence fell over us for a second before she drew her hand away, her gaze directed to the two enormous doors ahead of us.

"It's almost time." I frowned.

"Not yet." I had seen Remus's transformation the last time I had accompanied on his monthly escapade, and I didn't want to expose Elaine to that just yet.

"Leo..." I didn't look at her, I didn't see the point, I could see her in my mind's eye anyway, and while it didn't compare to the real thing, it did the job. "What if I can't keep control of my animagus form?" I scoffed, rolling my eyes.

"You'll be fine Damsel, it gets easier every time." She seemed uncertain, so I turned my head and beamed at her. "Come on, the coast is clear."

Other than the noise of Elaine's panting breath, the tunnel to the Shreaking Shack was completely silent, neither one of us talking, and we were halfway there, my back brushing the ceiling as we crawled through, when we heard a howl.

With my heightened senses, I found Remus, already transformed, I could hear his elongated claws digging at the wooden walls of the shack, and tearing into the roots of the Weeping Willow, and he wormed his way into the tunnel.

"Change!" I screamed to Elaine, and I felt her pulse speed up out of fear, and the change begin, and I rushed to transform as well, knowing that if Remus found us before we had changed, that I was practically dead meat, seeing as he was attracted to the scent of vampire blood, even if I was only a half-vampire.

Just as I saw Remus round the corner ahead of us, his claws ripping up shredded pieces of tree root, his hot breath filling the tunnel with the stench of bone marrow and blood, I completed the change, blocking his path to her as Elaine finished hers.

His eyes locked on her over my shoulder, and even though my animagus form was much smaller than his wolf form, it was a much better advantage, seeing as the tight confines we had found ourselves in were constricting his movement, he bumped into walls, and I couldn't miss as my claws swiped his shoulders.

_REMUS! GET A HOLD OF YOURSELF! _

I felt Elaine jump behind me, even in her wolf form, and I knew she had heard it as well.

With a few seconds more of snarling, the wolf calmed for a minute.

_Leo?_

A small voice, Remus's voice, questioned, before he saw Elaine's wolf form over my shoulder.

_I knew this was a bad idea..._

I shook my feline head, still blocking the way between my two closest friends, just in case Remus lost control again.

_It's not a bad idea, it's a terrible idea. _

_But you've got us, nonetheless. _

Elaine told him, pushing past me in the small tunnel, her wolf form slightly smaller than my cheetah form, and I begrudgingly let her go.

She pressed her head to Remus's, and my eyes widened, and I launched myself at her, pushing her out of the way just as Remus lashed out, leaving long but shallow furrows down my flank.

I turned on him, which was tough in the close confines of the tunnel, backing up, forcing Elaine further down the tunnel.

_Elaine, get into the shack._

Without a second of hesitation, she turned and took off, knowing by the tone in my voice that I wasn't playing games.

The wolf watched her leave, and I growled, making him pause.

I was his alpha, since I had beaten him on the last full moon, but he wanted to fight the new wolf, Elaine's wolf.

I stopped backing up, standing firm, standing my ground.

I faced him, looking the wolf dead in the eye, until Remus returned.

_...Leo?_

Remus gasped, backing up a step or two as he caught sight of the blood slowly leaking down my side.

_How badly are you hurt?! _'

I chuckled in my head, the same way we communicated.

_It's not that bad Remus, you barely scratched me._

His stared at me for a second before blinking, looking further down the tunnel, to where we both knew Elaine was waiting.

_Did I hurt her_?

I stared him down, tilting my head slightly.

_Do you think you'd still be alive if you had?_

The words may have sounded menacing, but Moony seemed relieved by that fact.

_Can you stay in control now_?

There was a second of pause, before he nodded his wolf head.

_I think I can. Just... stay on guard._

I turned, and started heading down the tunnel, still blocking his way, but making steady progress, just in case he wasn't as in control as he thought he was.

_I always am._

* * *

(A/N): So, what did you think of Elaine's first full moon trip?

Please review and/or check out my other stories!


	148. Christmas Morning

(A/N): Hey Guys! So, here's the next chapter... I plan to end third year reasonably soon, by the way.

Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognise.

* * *

Leo

The following morning was Christmas day, though the mood was hardly merry as Elaine and I entered the hospital wing to see Remus having his wounds tended to.

Wounds that I had inflicted.

I had hurt Remus before, and he had hurt me, I needed to see the consequences of hurting my friends. Besides, my side was still stinging from the injuries he had inflicted the previous night.

It was at about seven thirty, and hour after we had arrived, that the others burst in.

They didn't seem surprised to see Elaine, but I suspected that they didn't know about her part in our trip last night.

"Morning Remus." Lily greeted quietly, before the boys had a chance to make a spectacle of themselves.

I saw James's eyes dart to the bandages peeking out from beneath Remus's shirt before they narrowed.

"I see you were a little rough last night." He remarked, jaw clenched tight, but Remus held up a hand to placate him.

"Relax Prongs, I deserved it." The four shared a look.

"What do you mean, 'you deserved it'?" Remus shrugged.

"The wolf mind took control, tried to attack Elaine. Elaine was just defending her." They gaped at Remus for a second before turning to me.

"Why would you let her out there?!" Sirius exclaimed quietly, knowing we couldn't let Madam Pomfrey overhear us.

"Guys, calm down, I was in animagus form!" Elaine objected, and James raised his eyebrows at her.

"You've managed the transformation, then?" Elaine carefully watched him for a second before crossing her arms over her chest.

"Yes." Sirius's face lit up at her admission.

"Would you help us then?" I winced, knowing exactly how Elaine would react after her own experience during and since the change.

"No!" She cried, her eyes wide, and the boys fell silent for a minute.

"Why not?" Lily asked, her tone showing her suspicion.

"Because it's dangerous!" James scoffed, his arms crossed over his chest.

"Dangerous! What could possibly happen?" Scanning their faces, I knew they thought it was a completely risk free procedure.

"You could be killed!" They looked slightly taken aback by Elaine's outburst.

"Not just by the transformation, or even by Remus!" I glanced at him, but he didn't seem particularly hurt or offended by the statement. "You could turn on each other, like I did to Leo!" I watched on as the others jaws dropped, and they gaped at us.

"What?" Lily questioned, her voice eerily calm, and Elaine sighed.

"When I first...changed, I lost control of the animal mind." She lowered her gaze to the ground. "Leo was the only thing in the room... so it attacked at him. _I_ attacked him." I placed a hand on her shoulder in an attempt to comfort her, and she shot me a weak smile.

"How badly?" Peter asked, so quietly we almost couldn't hear him say it.

"When I came back in, I honestly thought she had killed him." Remus replied, and I saw Elaine flinch, avoiding our eyes.

"Oh please, she barely touched me." She shot me a disbelieving though grateful look.

"So, Leo, you helped her, why won't you help us?" James inquired, his tone sharp as he watched me with narrowed eyes.

"Because I know she can take it."

* * *

(A/N): So, what did you think?

Please review and/or check out my other stories!


	149. Bonding and The Best Christmas

(A/N): Hey Guys! So, I've been writing a whole bunch of chapters, now I just have to type them up and post them. I hope you enjoy this chapter, and the next few.

Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognise.

* * *

Leo

At about midday, Remus was released from the hospital wing, and with the corridors nearly deserted, we travelled peacefully back to the Gryffindor common room.

"We could go to the astronomy tower." Sirius suggested, but Lily shook her head.

"Too cold." He shrugged, though I saw him pull the sleeves of his sweater over his hands.

"And too many stairs." Remus said, shuddering, but flinching before trying to hide it.

Elaine moved so her arm was pressed against mine in a calming gesture.

"How about a bonding exercise?" Sirius suggested, and we glanced at each other before shrugging.

"Okay then..." Elaine murmured. "What's everyone's favourite Christmas so far? James?" James considered it for a minute.

"My seventh Christmas. My dad bought me a broom, taught me how to ride it and everything." He wore a smile that showed the innocent bliss of a child, and his eyes held a distant look.

"Lily?" Elaine prompted, and Lily shrugged.

"Probably the Christmas before first year. It was the last Christmas I spent on good terms with Petunia." She paused for a second, her lips twitching into a smile. "We went to the zoo."

"Sirius." He barely had to think.

"My eighth Christmas. I spent it with my uncle Alphard, he's the only sane person in my whole family." He smiled, somewhat sadly, and clapped Remus on the knee. "Your turn, wolf-boy. Remus frowned.

"My Christmas when I was four. It was the last Christmas before I became a werewolf." He lowered his eyes. "The last time I was completely carefree." We were all silent for a minute.

"Wow, downer." The others spun around to face the intruder, but I didn't bother.

"Brooke. What's the best Christmas you've had?" She didn't even look remotely confused, so I guessed that she had been listening for a while.

"Two years before my mom died." She said, climbing over the back of the couch to sit on my other side, pushing me closer to Elaine. "I spent it with you, remember?" I grinned, nodding slowly.

"One of the Joannis family Christmas parties." Lily raised an eyebrow.

"I would have thought purebloods would hate parties." I shot her a smile, rolling my eyes playfully.

"I don't mean parties like, staying out all night, drinking and dancing parties, Princess." Sirius nodded, his jaw clenched.

"He means balls. Gala's, even. The Black family have them as well." Remus and Lily stared at us, both obviously never having heard of one, let alone been.

"Ours aren't annual, but my parents do host formal events occasionally." James added, but Brooke shook her head.

"The Joannis family's events are almost famous for their prestige – everyone there is either a pureblood supremacist or sworn against anyone with even a hint of someone else in their veins." She shuddered. "They're usually hell, these things, but I met Leo there, and we hid from the adults all night." She turned her head to beam at me. "Pretty fun, eh?" From the corner of my eye, I saw Elaine frown.

"Elaine." Her attention snapped to me. "Best Christmas story, go." She stuttered for a second before swallowing thickly.

"My favourite Christmas was maybe a half dozen years ago. It was the first Christmas with just my mother, Jay and I." She paused for a second, shrugging. "It was our first proper Christmas." Only Remus and I knew about Elaine's father, thought the others tried not to look confused.

"Leo?" Lily prompted, and I didn't even have to think.

"Last Christmas." They stared at me for a few seconds.

"What? No explanation?" Brooke teased, and I shrugged.

"Well, my mother and the rest of my family never really celebrated Christmas, other than the parties. She said it was childish." I looked up and notice the others watching me with concerned expressions. "Dad was never that big on it either, so... last year is kind of the only one I have to choose from." Elaine draped an arm across my shoulder, burying her head in the crook of my neck before pulling back to smile at me.

"Well, let's make this the new favourite for all of us!"

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(A/N): So, what did you think?

Please review and/or check out my other stories.


	150. Lunch and Desperation

(A/N): Hey Guys! Two in one night, YEAH! I just have to alert you, I do currently have the flu, so I may or may not get another chapter out tonight. Anyway, I hope you like it.

Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognise.

* * *

Leo

After Elaine's exclamation, we all, including Brooke, headed down to the Great Hall for lunch.

There were only ten others in the half, a few of them teachers, one Slytherin, the rest being Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws, we were the only Gryffindor's left in the castle.

Instead of there being five tables, including the high table, there was only one, placed directly in the middle of the hall.

"Good afternoon students." Minnie began, standing at the head of the table beside Dumbledore.

"Welcome to our Christmas feast." He raised one of his silver-white brows. "I see we have an unusual amount of Gryffindor's in attendance." He shot us a subtle wink.

"Always keen to take care of a friend." Those not clued in on Remus's condition didn't even have time to look confused, as Dumbledore pressed on.

"Hufflepuff's, prepared to complete any task put before them, in the most honest way possible." He smiled fondly in the direction of the two Hufflepuffs at the other end of the table." Ravenclaw's, always seeing the smallest of details, and knowing exactly what it means." He tapped his temple, and one of the Ravenclaw's raised their goblet to him.

"And Slytherin." Dumbledore paused for a second, his eyes falling on the only Slytherin at the table, probably a first year judging by his small stature. "The mighty snake. Capable of almost anything... and the ambition to get just that." The Slytherin boy looked pleased, but as I watched, I saw him dip the cuffs of his sleeves in his food.

"Dig in." Dumbledore announced, taking his seat, and we all snatched our cutlery from the table.

After lunch, we did indeed go up to the astronomy tower, and even though he tried to hide it, I saw Remus wince every now and then.

When we reached the top, with help of Lily, I cast a heating spell on the room, so the winter chill didn't bother us, and spread out a blanket on the floor with a few pillows we had snagged from the room of requirement on our way up.

We lolled around on the floor, our coats and sweaters discarded, no longer having a need for them.

I sat with my back against the wall, and Brook and Elaine soon joined me, one on either side.

I met Lily's eyes, filled with mockery as they were.

"Shut up." I mouthed to her, and she smothered her giggles with her hand.

I felt first Elaine's head hit my shoulder, closely followed by Brooke's.

"Why don't we play truth or dare?" Remus suggested, watching me with mischievous eyes, and I jumped up, moving to sit by his side, out of both girls grasps.

"Yes! Let's do that!" Even knowing how desperate I was, the others looked surprised.

"Okay then..." James muttered. "Brooke." She switched her gaze to him. "Truth or dare?" She considered it for a second – or, well, pretended to.

"Truth." James nodded slowly, glancing at the others before back to her.

"How much about Leo do you know?" Brooke folded her arms over her chest, smirking at him.

"More than you." Lily huffed, rolling her eyes.

"Oh, now she knows?" I smirked at her, while Brooke shrugged.

"Hey, she has known me longer than any of you." Lily glared at me.

"And I've known you the second longest, why won't you tell me?" Elaine glanced at me before chiming in.

"Lily, we're trying to make this the best Christmas any of us have ever had, let's not fight." Lily stared at her for a minute, lips pursed, before she let her head drop, and unfolded her arms.

"Besides, I didn't tell Brooke." It was silent for a minute before Remus and Elaine cried out.

"Oh!" We stared at them.

"What?" I asked, confused, for once.

"Nothing." Elaine murmured, staring at me.

"Just realising you lied to us." They both stood, and before I knew it, they were out the door.

"Again." Sirius chimed in helpfully, but it only made James smack him on the shoulder.

"I'll be back." I said, jumping to my feet. "Maybe."

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(A/N): So, what did you think?

'Let's not fight.' *Fights*

Please review and/or check out my other stories.


	151. Dirty Little Secrets

(A/N): Hey Guys! Sorry, I pretty much just passed out last night... I hope you enjoy this chapter.

Disclaimer: I own nothing your recognise.

* * *

Remus

"I can't believe he lied to us!" Elaine growled, pacing a short line in front of the table at which I sat.

"Again." I commented dryly, and she looked at me, her eyes now constantly glowering.

"_He_ can here you, you know." Leo announced as he entered, but Elaine just rolled her eyes at him.

"You _lied_. Therefore, you have no say." Leo frowned, taking the seat next to me.

"Well, it wasn't like I had a choice in the matter." Elaine stopped pacing, and we both turned to stare at him.

"What?" She asked, but Leo shrugged.

"What do you mean, 'you had no choice'?" I repeated, and Leo smiled.

"Stop paraphrasing. Besides, you think Brooke wanted it to get out that she was half-veela? No! And she has a _lot_ of dirt on me. So, I couldn't tell you anything." Elaine's eyebrows furrowed.

"What does she know that we don't?" The door banged shut, obviously on purpose, and there stood Brooke, arms crossed, wearing a smirk.

"Oh, I know all of Leo's dirty little secrets." She said, moving forward and trailing her hand across Leo's shoulders.

"What secrets could possibly be left?" Elaine asked angrily, but Leo grinned at her.

"They aren't necessarily big secrets, like my heritage, but they're still things I wouldn't to get out." Brooke smirked, shrugging, leaning down so her head was positioned beside his.

"And I know all of them." Leo shrugged, wincing slightly.

"Most of them." She stared at him with wide eyes.

"'_Most'_?" Elaine failed to hide her laughter, and I watched in amusement.

"Well, I do need _some_ secrets." Elaine rolled her eyes at him.

"You have secrets Leo. Many, many secrets." Leo shook his head smiling slightly.

"I meant _private_ secrets. Private." Elaine stared at him.

"I don't have any secrets, I don't see why it matters to you so much." I raised an eyebrow at her.

"Yes you do." She paused, before nodding slowly.

"Right. Yeah. Yeah I do." Leo rested his hand on hers in an attempt to comfort her.

"Ooh, secrets!" Brooke said, watching on eagerly, but Leo shot her a warning look.

"It's not something I like to talk about." Brooke became serious, and paused for a second, looking her over.

"Abuse." Elaine blinked in surprise.

"How did you-? How did she do that?" The second question was directed at Leo.

"I'm guessing she saw your scars." Brooke shrugged, smiling somewhat sadly.

"That and the way you carry yourself. Leo's exactly the same, so closed off, and afraid of looking weak." Leo's gaze dropped to the ground, whereas Elaine looked her dead in the eye.

"I'm not afraid of _anything_." Brooke pursed her lips.

"Perhaps you're not. Nothing except you're daddy, that is."

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(A/N): So, what did you think?

Please review and/or check out my other stories!


	152. Restraint and Terrible Decisions

(A/N): Hey Guys! So, here's the next chapter. I'm running out of name's for the chapters, so just... bare with me.

Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognise.

* * *

Leo

Elaine gaped at Brooke, shocked and outraged, everything was silent as I moved to put myself between two of my best friends.

"Damsel..." She didn't reply, instead choosing to launch herself at Brooke. "Really?!" I growled as I caught her around the waist, holding her off the ground with ease. "What did you think was going to happen?" She struggled furiously, but to no avail.

"Leo, let her go." Brooke ordered, but I just rolled my eyes at her.

"Like hell!" Elaine dug her elbow into my chest repeatedly, but I barely felt it.

"She wants to fight me, let her fight me!" Elaine yelled, pulling at my arm with her free arm.

"No!" I caught a glimpse of Remus, who still sat, slightly stunned.

"Why not let them fight?" I narrowed my eyes at him.

"You know I can't do that." Brooke had moved forward a bit, only just out of Elaine's reach, and Remus stood slowly.

"Why not?" Brooke asked rhetorically, and I spun to face her.

"Because you'd win." Brooke paused, crossing her arms over her chest. "And I can't let you hurt her." Elaine stopped moving, her breath coming out in puffs against my neck.

"Veela genes make you stronger?" She panted, and I nodded.

"The night I attacked Brooke," All three winced. "When I attacked her, she was able to push me back. Just a little, but I had enough control left to keep moving back." Brooke's gaze fell, and I lowered Elaine slowly to the floor.

"You alright now?" She hesitated for a second, avoiding my eyes, but nodded.

"Sorry." I had a second to feel confused before Elaine struck out at Brooke, landing a good hard slap across her cheek.

I went to grab her again, but she only knocked my hands out of the way.

"Stop it. That's all I wanted to do." Brooke's face was red, though her left cheek was a darker hue from the slap.

"You... you little-!" I rolled my eyes as she pounced at Elaine, grabbing both of her wrists and dragging her towards the doors.

"I'll calm her down, you guys go back to the others." Remus nodded, and I saw him slip his hand into Elaine's as I closed the door behind us.

"Let me go!" She objected, attempting to struggle against my one-handed restraint of her wrists.

"Like that'll happen?" She stopped in her tracks, and I faced her.

"What are you going to do now, huh smart guy?" I rolled my eyes at her, slipping my arm under her legs, repositioning my arm around her back to keep her arms restrained, lifting her off the ground.

"That." I said, before continuing to walk.

"I'm sorry I attacked your girlfriend Leo." She said as we exited the castle, the only other sounds being that of the snow crunching beneath my shoes, and the cold wind howling past us.

"She's not my girlfriend." I objected, albeit without much enthusiasm, taking a seat on the step outside the entrance hall doors, releasing Brooke.

"Not yet." I turned to look at her, raising one eyebrow. "Oh please, we all know it's going to happen." I frowned, looking forward again.

"It can't." She stared at me, lips pursed. "If we ever became more than friends, I'd be putting her in danger." I paused for a second. "Even more so than now." She smiled sadly, nodding.

"I've seen you in action Leo. You'll gain control as you get older, I'm sure." I smiled, grabbing her hand.

"God I hope so." She leaned in slowly, pressing her forehead to mine.

"I'll leave it up to you to decide if-" I cut her off, placing my lips against hers.

"Never leave things up to me, I make terrible decisions." She giggled, planting a kiss on my lips.

"It isn't me you should be kissing." I rolled my eyes at her.

"Stop it." She grinned at me.

"You know I'm right. No matter how much danger it puts her in, she won't care." She hesitated for a second. "As long as she's with you." I turned my head to avoid her gaze.

"I'd do anything for her. You know that as well as I do." Brooke's eyes widened, and she nodded sharply.

"Oh, I do, I really do." I waved her off, trying to force back a blush.

"Shut up." She shrugged, smirking.

"I'm just saying, you make it pretty obvious that you like her." I sighed, resting my head in my hands.

"She's my best friend Brooke, I can't lose her. I can't."

* * *

(A/N): So, what did you think?

More chapters to come!

Please review and/or check out my other stories!


	153. A Better Understanding

(A/N): Hey Guys! So, here's the next chapter!

Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognise.

* * *

Leo

Shortly afterwards we returned to the astronomy tower where the others were waiting, but tried to act like they weren't.

I took my seat beside Elaine, Brooke getting the message to leave us alone, and going to sit between Remus and Peter.

Elaine didn't so much as look up as I sat down, her eyes focused on the bracelet she was twiddling between her fingers.

"You gave me this." She murmured, and I nodded, already having recognised it.

"I know." She didn't speak for a second, instead unclasping the bracelet and holding it up, the latin inscription facing me.

"I got Sirius to translate it when I first noticed it a few months ago." She paused for a second, sighing. "You broke that promise tonight." She pushed off the ground, moving to sit between James and Sirius.

I felt Brooke's eyes watching me but I didn't bother to look up.

Surprisingly, it wasn't Brooke who sat down beside me, but Remus.

"You okay?" I blinked, staring at him. "Sorry." I shook my head.

"It's fine Remus." I pulled my knees up to my chest, resting my head on top of my crossed arms.

"I know you don't want to hurt her. Either of them." I shook my head.

"I don't want to hurt anyone. I'm just so confused." Remus nodded, placing his hand on my shoulder.

"I think you might be a little mentally compromised." I raised an eyebrow at him. "You clearly love Elaine, how the hell are you confused?!" He exclaimed in a hushed tone.

"Because I don't want to hurt her. Elaine's a human, she's fragile. With Brooke... I don't have to worry as much. And I like Brooke as well, a lot! I just... god, I'm so confused." I threw my head back, blinking back tears of frustration.

"Oh of course, you have two beautiful girls crushing on you, it must be so hard for you." I stared at him and he sighed. "Sorry Leo. It's just... other than your 'heritage' and your family problems, you just have it so much better than most." I raised an eyebrow.

"I can't date anyone or even get close to them, I can't have kids for the fear that they'll be like me, and on top of that, my own family wants to kill me because they think I'm a monster! Also, I'm very close to losing my best friend, so, forgive me for having it 'so much better'." Remus watched me with sad eyes.

"I-" I cut him off.

"Look, I'm just a little pissed that no one understands what I'm going through."

"I know Leo. I just don't know how we can." I shrugged, shooting him a smile.

"It's alright Remus, I'm used to it by now." He stared at me for a second before I stood up.

"Elaine. A flight lesson?" She didn't look happy about the prospect, but she stood nonetheless, and I followed her out the door.

"So where are we going?" She asked a few minutes later, and I raised an eyebrow at her.

"I told you. Flight lesson."

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(A/N): So, what did you think?

I know there's a lot of petty fighting going on, but it's important.

Please review and/or check out my other stories!


	154. Flight Lesson Accidentals

(A/N): Hey Guys! So, this is the last of the prewritten chapters, so it'll be a little bit longer before the next one.

Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognise.

* * *

Elaine

After a quick pit stop at the Gryffindor boys dormitory, Leo and I headed outside, broom in hand.

I wrapped my arms around myself, shivering as the freezing cold wind blew past me, but Leo made no move to do anything about it.

"I thought I already knew how to fly?" Leo rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, you do, but now you need to learn how to fly _well._" I glared at him, but he simply lifted me onto the broom in front of him.

"Shouldn't I be alone?" I asked pointedly, but he scoffed.

"It's like, two degrees out here, you think I'm going to let you freeze to death?" I tried to ignore it as he wrapped both arms around my waist, pulling my back flush with his chest.

"But I still get to fly?" He rested his chin on my shoulder, nodding.

I glanced around, trying to delay it for a few second, but he saw right through me.

"The longer you stay out here, the longer you have to put up with this." He teased, drumming his fingers against my sides.

"Shut up." I muttered, before carefully kicking off.

"Careful." He reminded me, and I snorted, still angry with him.

"Why? Scared you'll fall?" He raised an eyebrow at me.

"Even if, miraculously, I wasn't able to hold on, I still doubt the fall would kill me." I furrowed my eyebrows, and he chuckled quietly. "Are you really that set on hating me?" Even though he was still smiling, I knew he was one hundred percent serious, and I sighed.

"I don't hate you Leo." I still felt his eyes on me as we drifted in a slow circle.

"I'm sorry I hurt you Elaine." He moved to place a kiss on my cheek, but I turned my head to reply, and his lips pressed against mine. "I'm sorry..." He said, pulling away almost instantly. "I... I'll be more careful next time." I nodded dumbly.

"'s okay." I mumbled, my eyes still fixed on his plump, pink lips.

"Take us down." I forced myself to pay attention, landing the broom none too gently.

"Why?" I asked as he removed his arms from around me, leaving me completely exposed to the chilly wind. "Leo!" I yelled as he started to walk away and he froze. "Why?" I asked more gently, and he turned, avoiding my gaze.

"Because I can't pretend that didn't just happen, again." I frowned, though my lips still tingled with the feel of his being against them.

"Then don't." His eyes met mine, and I saw the pain in them.

"Damsel, you know I can't." I smiled sadly, nodding.

"Brooke." He looked shocked.

"No, not Brooke. You." I took a step back feeling a sob rising in the back of my throat.

"Me?" I whispered, and he fixed me with those beautifully sorrowful eyes.

"You know the closer I get to someone, the closed they get to having to pick out a burial plot." He paused for a second, stepping closer to take my hand in his. "I can't lose you Ghislaine. I just can't." He released me, taking a few steps back.

"I'm sorry." He said, before disappearing from my sight.

* * *

(A/N): So, what did you think?

Sometimes, Leo gets very melodramatic. You know... on the days where the earth revolves around the sun.

Please review and/or check out my other stories!


	155. Falling Through Life

(A/N): Hey Guys! So, I just wrote this chapter... I know it's short, sorry.

Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognise.

* * *

Leo

I didn't go very fair. I could hear every part of the others conversation from my position atop the Astronomy tower as Elaine returned to them.

"Where's Leo?" Was the first thing out of Brooke's mouth.

"He's busy." Elaine replied, glaring at her, and the others decided to push on, used to my habit of disappearing by now.

I stayed up there for about an hour, just listening to them talk. I hadn't spent time, proper, quality, happy time with them, for a long, long time.

I missed it. I missed _them._

I stood, perched delicately at the edge of the rooftop, looking out over the grounds towards the forest.

The night air was freezing, I could tell, but I couldn't actually feel the cold temperature.

I walked along the edge of the roof before I was out of the sight of the large opening in the top level of the astronomy tower, and taking one step forward.

The air rushed up past my face, and I watched the ground fly towards me as I fell.

* * *

(A/N): So, what did you think?

Please review and/or check out my other stories.


	156. That Makes Two

(A/N): Hey Guys! So, this chapters really stupid, but it's actually pretty long, which surprised me.

Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognise.

* * *

Leo

I extended my arm, catching hold of one of the drain pipes fastened to the side of the building, my feet hitting the wall, slowing me down enough so that by the time I reached the ground, I was able to jump off safely.

I shoved my hands into the pockets of my jeans, deciding to wander around the grounds.

With the lack of people here for the holidays, and the fact that the sun was beginning to set, I barely had to avoid anyone, other than Minnie looking out her window at one point.

Eventually, I got bored, and I started thinking, 'What would the Marauders do?'

Which, of course, was probably a bad idea, but I ignored my nagging moral compass, pulling out my wand.

"Seclusi Scintillae." I said, and electric blue sparks flew from my wand. Using vampire speed, I moved to the next location. "Seclusi Scintillae." I went from place to place rigging up the prank I had divised, rather quickly, in my head.

I even made my way back through the castle, to just outside the door to the astronomy towers topmost room.

"Seclusi Scintillae." I whispered, before getting out of the area.

In the Room of Requirement, I picked out the first book I saw, and started to read in the plush chair by the fire, bored enough for it not to matter what I was reading.

About half an hour later, the door opened, and a set of sparks, almost like fireworks, burst overhead.

"Did you do that?" Sirius asked, and I grinned not bothering to look up.

"I got bored." Elaine caught one of the little sparks in her hand, staring at it with wide eyes as it danced a little bit, and fizzled out without leaving a mark.

"Did you set these up all over the school?" I shrugged.

"Pretty much, yeah." James frowned, perching himself on the edge of the couch.

"You know we Marauders are going to get blamed for this, right?" I smirked at him from over my book, and nodded slowly.

"Well, you boys were my inspiration. I got bored, and started thinking, 'what would the Marauders do?'" Lily rolled her eyes, sitting down on the chair furthest from James with a huff.

"Of course you did. Nothing good can come of this." She paused for a second, rubbing her chin. "Unless it puts them in detention..." Elaine stared at her for a second before turning her attention back to me.

"Since when do you do pranks?" I shrugged again, closing my book and setting it flat in my lap.

"As long as they have." I gestured to the boys. "Though they haven't really done all that many pranks." Sirius sighed, pretending to look put-out.

"We just haven't found the right time. Pranking is a masterpiece, you know. You can't paint without the right materials." Lily stared at him for a moment before shaking her head.

"That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard." She muttered, and Sirius turned his head, pouting at her, but she didn't bother to notice.

"No it's not." I reminded her, before glancing around. "Where's Brooke?" Elaine glared at the ground, but Remus answered me.

"She went to go to bed on our way up here." I nodded, and paused for a second, blinking.

A range of junk food, both magical and muggle in invention appeared on a long table, a tall pine tree dominated the corner of the room, draped with tinsel and covered in baubles, and seven stockings now hung from the mantel of the fireplace, each embroidered with one of each of our names.

"Ooh, food!" Sirius exclaimed, moving to get up, but Remus pushed past him, knocking him back down in his chair in his pursuit of chocolate, but Sirius remained undeterred, and made it to the table only just behind James.

"Pretty tree." Lily murmured, instead moving over to the tree, gently skimming her hands across the masses of tinsel.

"She likes shiny things." I whispered to Elaine, and she covered her mouth with her hand to hide her laughter.

"Hey Lilsy-pie, check out these baubles!" James exclaimed, though muffled by a range of sweets as it was, swaying from side to side slowly as he stared into a shiny silver bauble.

"That makes two of them."

* * *

(A/N): So, what did you think?

Please review and/or check out my other stories!


	157. Fingers Crossed

(A/N): Hey Guys! So, this is one of the last chapter's of third year. It's pretty short, and fairly pointless to be honest.

Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognise.

* * *

Leo

With the rest of the night passing without any particular excitement, it was soon enough time for school to resume at the end of the Christmas break.

Lily and I headed down to Hogsmeade train station in the afternoon, preparing to wait for the Hogwarts Express to return, and to welcome back our fellow students.

Or, well, two students in particular.

Just as the Hogwarts express came into sight, the others sat down beside us on the concrete of the train station platform, not saying so much as a single word.

Eventually, Lily straightened up.

"I think I hear it!" I rolled my eyes, and Elaine smothered her laughter, Remus, Sirius and James smiling, but not quite as entertained by my heightened as hearing as she was.

About a minute later, the train slowed to a gradual stop in front of us.

People started filing out, politely avoiding us, until a smile burst across Lily's face.

"Sev!" She yelled, shoving her way through the crowd until she was at his side, throwing her arms around his neck.

I continued to scan the crowd, moving along the train, tracking her progress in my head by the image of the blood in her veins.

"Leo!" Mia exclaimed as she reached the exit door of the train, and I embraced her, spinning in a circle and taking a step to return her to the ground out of the way of the other students.

"Mia. How was Christmas?" She winced, rubbing her arm through the long sleeve's of her olive green shirt.

"It was... good, considering." She wasn't lying, I was sure of that, but I also knew that good, for us, wasn't all that good in the eyes of other people.

"How bad was it?" She hesitated for a second, before pulling up her sleeve a little way, revealing a yellowing bruise on her forearm.

"It wasn't that bad Leo, honestly." I glared at the ground, arms crossed tight, jaw clenched roughly. "You've been through worse." I turned my gaze to her, softening it enough to let her see the pain there.

"I'm not quite so fragile as you, Mia. I want to protect you, even if it is against our own mother." She paused for a second, before nodding slowly.

"Alright Leo... but just promise me that you'll be careful." I shot her a grin.

"Totally." I told her, middle finger crossed over index behind my back.

"I love you, big brother." I ruffled her hair with my hand.

"I love you more, little sister."

* * *

(A/N): So, what did you think?

Leo is such a little liar...

Please review and/or check out my other stories!


	158. The Slip

(A/N): Hey Guys! So, here's the next chapter, hope you enjoy. I still have the flu, and I'm either going to school tomorrow, or going to the doctor. -_-

Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognise.

* * *

Leo

A few weeks later, I was at yet another training session with Greygorry, when Elaine, Remus, Sirius and James turned up out of the blue.

I paused, half out of surprise, and Greygorry clocked me on the cheek hard.

"Ouch." Sirius said, standing above me.

"It's not that bad." I reassured him, pushing myself to my feet.

"You're still getting your ass kicked." James pointed out, and Greygorry took a step forward.

"Leonides is making brilliant progress." I blinked in surprise at the compliment. "But, as you said, he is still getting his ass kicked." Well, good feeling gone.

"You're like, three hundred years older than me." Greygorry shrugged.

"Closer to four hundred, actually." Sirius gaped at him.

"You're almost four hundred?!" I rolled my eyes at him.

"My dad's over two hundred, it's not that amazing." Even Elaine and Remus seemed surprised by this fact.

"Vampire's get stronger as they age, so technically, I could take your dad on." I glared at him.

"Let's not forget the fact that I'm thirteen, and I can hold my ground against you for a bit, when I'm not distracted." I arched an eyebrow at my friend's, and Remus rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

"Yeah, sorry about that." Greygorry's eyebrows furrowed.

"How did you find us anyway?" James rolled his eyes.

"Where else would you be? The dark forest is pretty much the only place people don't wander freely, but Leo can still get to on non-Hogsmeade visit days." I tilted my head, shrugging.

"Astute deduction." Was all Greygorry said, before pouncing at me, sending me spiralling to crash through a small tree.

"Wow, vampire pro wrestling!" Sirius remarked, but I felt Remus and Elaine wince.

"This is what you class as, 'training'?" Greygorry darted forward again, striking out at me, his razor sharp nails grazing me as I dodged out of the way, almost too slow.

Instead of fighting back, I launched myself upwards into the trees, but he was already waiting for me. I wound my way around the trunk and branches of the tree, always to have a part of it between, even as he broke one after another off.

I took a tiny step forward from my perch on a branch, just enough so that when I fell backwards, my knees caught along the branch, serving to flip me over, leaving me able to grab another branch, vaulting myself through the trees.

I caught glimpses of my friends through the trees, attempting to keep a lock on Greygorry, even though I couldn't hear his heartbeat, nor the blood pumping through his veins, and his movements were whisper quiet.

Patience.

I took a deep breath, letting myself relax a little, waiting for him, to come to me.

I felt it before I saw it.

His fist, flying towards my face.

I ducked, straight down, his forearm whipping through the air above my head, and I kicked my leg out and upwards, sending him soaring, and to crash through a tree.

As I landed feet first on the ground, the other were only just now turning towards the sound, and they seemed surprised to see Greygorry crawling out of the debris, not me.

"I see you listened to me about patience." He grunted, and I shrugged, only to have him pounce on me, pinning me firmly to the ground.

I knew struggling was practically futile, I could barely move his hand as they gripped my wrists, but it was a consolation that I was getting stronger. When we had first started training together, I hadn't even been able to do that.

"On the upside, you kicked him through a tree." Sirius pointed out, and I turned my head to grin at him.

"No, the upside is that I don't have any broken bones yet." Elaine raised an eyebrow.

"'Yet'?" She questioned, and I shrugged, smiling weakly.

"Hazard of the job, no biggie." Greygorry clapped me on the shoulder, ultimately making me wince, but he half-smiled at me, which is about as good as he got with me.

"Go spend time with your friends. If they're willing to drop in on your training, they're obviously going to be persistent." I nodded, moving to join them, knowing that Greygorry was already long gone by the time I reached them.

"Where'd he go?" I shrugged, yet again.

"I'm not entirely sure, but that doesn't matter now. How'd you get away from Lily and Peter?" James grinned at me, a grin I wasn't entirely happy about.

"We gave them the slip."

* * *

(A/N): So, what did you think?

Again, a mostly pointless chapter.

Please review and/or check out my other stories!


	159. The Bear Analogy

(A/N): I think this is my first chapter with absolutely no PoV!

Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognise.

* * *

The time before the end of term went quickly and uneventfully, and soon enough, there was only one week left.

The group gathered in the boys dormitory, some air freshener having been sprayed in advance for the girls.

"Once you get past the stench of month old gym shorts, it isn't so bad in here." Elaine teased, but Leo rolled his eyes at her from his bed.

"None of that is me, nor is it Remus. Blame the Hardy Boys over there." He said, gesturing to Sirius, James and Peter, who were playing cards between Peter and Sirius's bed's.

"Oh, we are." Lily said, nodding sharply, her eyes wide.

"Hey!" James objected weakly, too engrossed in losing at cards to really care.

"The one time he isn't hanging on my every word." She muttered, and Remus raised an eyebrow at her from his bed.

"Jealous, Lils?" She half-glared at him.

"Of course not!" She said, but it wasn't very convincing.

"I think someone misses the attention of a certain misfit." Peter sang, slightly off-key, shooting her a weak smile to show that he didn't actually mean it, but he brought up a good, and true, point nonetheless.

"Who wouldn't?" Sirius murmured, nudging James with his shoulder.

"What?" James said, looking up for the first time. "Huh?" Leo shook his head, smiling fondly at the boy.

"Don't worry about it Prongs." James glanced at the others before shrugging and returning his attention to the game at hand.

"Only a week till the end of term, I can't believe it!" Lily exclaimed, probably trying to change the subject, and Remus replied, not looking up from his book and chocolate bar.

"I can. This was a long ass year." Leo raised an eyebrow at him.

"I love it when you swear." Remus looked at him from over the book, one eyebrow raised, but Leo only batted his eyelashes at him.

"Okay... If we're done with the odd flirting-" Peter cut her off.

"You just wish he was flirting with you." Elaine gaped at him, while Leo pretended like he hadn't heard him.

"You swear so rarely, it's funny when you do." Lily rolled her eyes at the two, Elaine's face now beet red.

"Yes!" Sirius cried as he lay down his winning hand, and the other boys groaned.

"I hate this game." James muttered, and Lily raised an eyebrow.

"What's it even called?" Sirius, still wearing a smirk, turned to face her.

"Double-what's-its-on-Tuesday-basketball-round-abo ut." Remus put his book down to stare at them.

"Do I even want to know?" All three boys shook their heads.

"Yeah, I wouldn't risk it." Elaine told Lily, resting her hand on her forearm before removing it as she turned to look at Leo.

"I've never heard it, but they have a different game every few days." Lily gave a nod of understanding, and Remus gave a moan of despair.

"I think I've depleted my chocolate stash..." He said in a breathless voice, his eyes wide, his hands clutching one another.

"Here." Sirius, James, Peter and Leo all tossed him a chocolate bar.

"I love you guys." Remus mumbled, his mouth already full of chocolate.

"Love you too." Leo called back, before throwing his pillow of the end of the bed to land on Elaine. "I thought you could use more pillow." Elaine leant up, glancing at the pillows surrounding her.

"Nope, we're doing pretty okay on plushiness over here." Lily nodded in agreement, laying down completely atop the mound of pillows.

"Are there more pillows here than usual?" Elaine asked, poking at them, squinting her eyes as if expecting them to burst open to reveal swarms of killer bees.

"Yeah, we got them from the room of Requirement." Peter said, the only one of the three 'Double-what's-its-on-Tuesday-basketball-round-abo ut' boys to be actually paying attention to the conversation going on around them.

"Aw, that's nice of you!" Lily told them, seeming genuinely surprised, but Leo snorted quietly.

"Oh please, we've all been sleeping with like, five pillows." Remus nodded in agreement.

"Trust me, they weren't for you dames." Leo raised an eyebrow at him.

"'Dames'? You're so swanky Remus." Remus rolled his eyes at him, though he wore an amused smirk.

"You know the rules." Leo rolled his eyes, throwing him another candy bar. "I only tolerate the sweet talk if I get chocolate." He explained to the girls, who grimaced.

"You eat so much chocolate, how are you not like, the size of the Quidditch pitch by now?" Sirius cried out, raising a hand to catch their attention.

"If directed at Remus, it's because werewolves use food quicker. If directed at all of us, it's because we're growing teenage boys." Leo nodded in agreement.

"We're like bears hibernating for the winter." Sirius rolled his eyes.

"Not the Bear Analogy again." Lily and Elaine shared a look.

"The Bear Analogy." Leo glared at them, crossing his arms over his chest.

"It's a perfectly fine analogy, especially when it comes to describing Sirius, due to his major case of back hair." Sirius pouted at him, but Leo seemed amused. "No dissing the Bear Analogy." Sirius held up his hands in surrender.

"Alright, alright!" Elaine shuddered, covering her face with a pillow.

"I have seen things I can't unsee." Lily smothered her laughter, but Leo didn't bother. "I can hear you Leo. And I'll kill you." Leo scoffed.

"Like you could." She pulled the pillow away from her face, glaring at him intensely, but he only shot her a smile, before letting it slide into a pout. "Please Damsel?" She stared at him for a minute before shaking her head.

"Damn you." She muttered, gazing down at the ground.

"Love you too Damsel." What she didn't know, is that he actually meant it in reply to her confession of having a crush on him, way back, on their first Hogsmeade trip. Heck, she didn't even know he knew!

"Aw, look at her, she's all red again!" Peter pointed out, and Leo hid his own blush with his book.

* * *

(A/N): So, what did you think?

Please review and/or check out my other stories!


	160. Specifics

(A/N): Hey Guys! So, last chapter of third year, yay!

Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognise.

* * *

Leo

The last day of term, as per usual, was fraught with excitement, and an excessive amount of students rushing around to pack at the very last minute.

Remus, Elaine and I relaxed on the couches in the Gryffindor common room, comfortable knowing that James, Sirius, Peter and Lily were still packing upstairs.

"I don't know why they do this every year." Elaine muttered, her head in Remus's lap as she stretched out over the rest of the couch.

"They like the excitement, I bet." Remus replied, politely attempting to avoid getting chocolate fragment on her as he stuffed his face.

"I think they honestly think they'll have more time in the morning." I said, as Lily stomped down the stairs, hair up in a messy bun, a thin sheen of sweat on her forehead, wearing an accomplished smile.

"All done!" She announced.

Half an hour later, the boys were finished as well, and we headed down to the entrance hall where we only just caught the tail end of the procession of students down to Hogsmeade station.

We managed to secure a carriage all to ourselves, and soon, we arrived at the Hogwarts express and boarded.

"I can't believe we're going to be fourth years next year..." James said wistfully, as if he thought everything was going to suddenly change for us just because we were fourth years.

"I'm getting too old for this." I whispered to Elaine, who smothered her laughter behind her hand.

"You're also too tall." Over the past year, I had grown even taller, and I now towered over even Remus, who was one of the tallest boys in our year, due to his werewolf genes.

"I'm a perfectly reasonable height." Lily scoffed.

"You're like the same height as Hagrid." I rolled my eyes, smiling at her fondly.

"Just because you're the same size as a house elf..." I trailed off, and she glared at me.

"'I'm a perfectly reasonable height.'" She replied, echoing my words from just before.

"I'm sure super short and super tall are fine heights to be." Elaine said, and I raised an eyebrow at her.

"You'd know, Thumbelina." She gaped at me, punching me in the arm, hard for her, but I barely felt it.

"Cyclops." I pouted at her, pretending to look hurt.

"I have two eyes, thank you." Pointing to both of my blue eyes, and she waved me off.

"Specifics."

Elaine

A few hours later, we arrived at King's cross, and I watched as Leo gave Mia one last hug in the corridors of the train before they parted ways, the seven of us jumping off the train and grabbing our luggage before scanning the crowd for our families.

Lily split off first, then James, followed by Peter, Sirius, and finally Remus, and I knew Leo had found his father by now, he would have had to, but he embraced me tightly before pulling back somewhat quicker than usual, and giving me a wave as I announced that I had located my mother and Jay.

Only a few yards away from them, I felt a pair of eyes on me, and I paused, glancing around, only to meet eyes with Cipicia Joannis.

As I stood, frozen, her lips curved into a sinister smile, and I forced myself to move, hurrying towards my mother and brother.

"Who was that?" My mother asked, and I hesitated, shrugging weakly.

"No one, mom. Just a friend's mother." Jay didn't look so convinced, and then his eyes widened slightly.

"That's that Leo kids mother, isn't it?" I nodded slowly, and he frowned.

"Then why did he walk in the opposite direction?" He asked curiously, sounding suspicious.

"He doesn't live with her, he lives with his father. Cipicia is only here to pick up his little sister, Mia." He nodded, keeping his eyes on Cipicia, and I grabbed his hand, dragging him away, in case she saw him looking.

* * *

(A/N): So, what did you think?

Jay is still very suspicious of Leo, I see...

Please review and/or check out my other stories!


	161. Sleeping Beauty

(A/N): Hey Guys! So, new chapter, yay!

Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognise.

* * *

Leo

After my father apparated us home, I poked around at the dinner Shari had made, before excusing myself for bed.

I hadn't been very hungry, just tired.

The next morning, Shari woke me up at the crack of dawn to train. By the early afternoon, I was exhausted.

With concerned looks, they let me go to bed.

I wandered down stairs, rubbing my eyes, and noticed Shari and my father staring at me.

"What?" I asked, confused, and Shari drew back the curtain to reveal that it was dark. "So I slept for a few hours, so what?" My father shared a look with her before stepping forward to place a hand on my shoulder.

"Leo, you slept for over a day." I stared at him for a second before chuckling nervously.

"You're kidding... right?" Shari shook her head.

"Have you been feeling any different lately?" I shrugged, thinking.

"Not really... tired more often, not as hungry, but nothing serious." I pulled out one of the chairs at the kitchen table.

"Did you sit down because you were tired?" I hesitated for a second before nodding.

"Leo, when was the last time you ate?" My father asked and I paused, thinking back.

"Like... Tuesday?" Shari sat down in her chair, hard.

"Leo, it's Sunday." I winced slightly, rubbing the back of my neck.

"It's not that bad." My father watched me carefully, also taking a seat at the table.

"When was the last time you hunted?" I shrugged.

"The second to last day of term." Shari paused for a second.

"And before that?" I furrowed my eyebrows at her.

"The day before." She and my father shared a look.

"So, you've been eating less, but sleeping and hunting more?" I hesitated, sensing there was most definitely a catch, but nodding nonetheless. "Leo, I think you might be sick." I stared at them, incredulous.

"Vampires can get sick?" Shari sighed.

"Not without help." I raised an eyebrow, not understanding.

"We don't think you're sickness is caused by natural causes, Leo. It's like you've been poisoned somehow. Would anyone want you dead?" I froze.

"Could it be slow acting?" They both shared a look before standing, rounding the table, and standing to one side of me.

"It could be... but who'd want to hurt you?" I grimaced at Shari's question.

"On top of the many vampire's who think I'm an abomination? Try: My mother." Shari's mouth dropped open.

"Last summer, after Lisbet and Jonothan attacked, she kidnapped you. Leo, what did she do?" I shrugged.

"You know, I'm not entirely sure." I glanced around. "Where is Lisbet, anyway?" Shari patted my hair, and I felt my father watching me in concern.

"She's out hunting." I nodded slowly, moving to stand up before stumbling slightly.

"Leo!" My father cried, sounding panicked. After all, vampire's, even vampire hybrids, didn't stumble.

"I'm fine." I murmured, straightening up.

"You're not fine." Shari reminded me, looping an arm around my shoulders, so she could catch me if I fell, I knew.

"We'll ask Lisbet if she know what happened when she gets back, for now, you need to eat." My father advised, and I groaned.

"Not hungry." He fixed me with a stern look he really couldn't pull off.

"Leo, you need to eat." I waved him off, but Shari grabbed my arm, dragging me back to the table.

I struggled against her, and at first, she won, but I twisted quickly, wrenching my arm out of her grip.

"I'm not hungry." I reiterated, and she watched me with concern in her eyes.

"You have to Leo, you haven't eaten in days." I shook my head, fighting back a yawn.

"You're tired again, aren't you?" I stared at them, dropping my head to gaze at the ground.

I didn't want to admit it, but I was scared.

I hated seeming weak, but I knew I couldn't fake it around them, and I just wanted to be alone, and to rest my eyes again.

"Leo, we'll figure this out." My father reassured me, resting his hand on my shoulder. "Just go to sleep, we'll handle it." I didn't want to agree, but I nodded, and climbed the stairs nonetheless, too tired to be all that bothered by the weakness I was showing.

"What if we can't 'handle it'?" I heard Shari ask, and I paused at the top of the stairs to hear my father's reply.

"We have to. He's my son..."

* * *

(A/N): So, what did you think?

Please review and/or check out my other stories!


	162. A Grimm Fairytale

(A/N): Hey Guys! So, here's the next chapter, and it's a long one!

Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognise.

* * *

Leo

I woke up sometime later, just staring at the ceiling, blinking wearily.

I couldn't hear anyone around the house, but that didn't mean anything, I never could.

Rolling over, I buried my face in my pillow, trying to push back the terror I was feeling. If this sickness did have something to do with my mother, it was most definitely sinister, and unlikely that I would ever recover.

We're going to make a deal.

A deal?

What had she meant?

What could she, a pureblood supremacist, need from me, a half-vampire?

My mother had never needed anything from anyone – and if she wanted it, she just took it. Maybe though, the deal was figurative. The deal being, the deal with the devil. She cures me of this, disease, so called, by killing me, and in return from me, she gets the pleasure of seeing me, a monster, beg for mercy at her feet.

Deciding it was for the best, I crawled out of my bed, heading downstairs without bothering to dress in proper clothes.

I'd probably just end up back there within the hour, so why bother?

"Dad?" I rarely called my father anything, and the word almost sounded foreign falling from my lips, but I loved to say it. He was my father, not that sadistic bastard I had thought played the role for the first seven years of my life. If only I had found that I had a different mother as well.

"Leo?" Shari was the one who answered, but my father was by my side in a second, somewhat startling me.

I examined them both, the tightness in their faces, and I knew.

"Have we found anything out?" Shari's eyes darted to my father, whose gaze locked onto mine.

"Leo... we've found a few things, to say the least." I forced myself not to swallow nervously, putting on what I hoped was a brave smile.

"Good news?" I asked, even though I knew it wasn't.

"Sort of?" Shari suggested, and my father sighed.

"Leo. My only son," _Uh oh_, I thought. _He only says, 'my only son' when he's worried he might lose me_. "We found some toxins in your blood." I was perplexed.

"How did you get my blood?" Shari smirked at me weakly, shaking a vial of my own blood in my face.

"We extracted it while you were sleeping." I shuddered lightly, and Lisbet laughed.

"We found traces of a plant called Verbena in your blood, and something else we can't identify." I stared at the ground for a second, eyebrows furrowed.

"Verbena...?" I murmured, thinking back to my potions lessons. "Wait, vervain?" Vervain was a plant grown mostly in the Americas and Europe, known to be extremely harmful to vampires, and lethal in large doses.

"You've heard of it then? It's extremely harmful... but usually fast acting. That other toxin must be what caused the delay in symptoms." I nodded, and I only just caught it.

My father, wincing.

"Dad?" His lips pressed into a thin line.

"Go to bed." I crossed my arms over my chest.

"I-" He cut me off, wearing a look I don't think I had ever seen on his face.

"Go. To. Bed. Leonides." I froze for a second, staring at him before nodding sharply, and using my vampire speed to scale the stairs, no matter how much I knew it would tire me out.

The first place I went was my window.

Not many things could make my father react like he had, but it certainly wasn't something already in the house.

Luckily, my bedroom faced the front yard, and so, I got to watch as my father, Shari and Lisbet arranged themselves outside, and about five minutes later, I sensed what my father had, minutes earlier.

My mother.

Mixed with her fiery blood, I could smell her from a mile away. She smelt like bleach and the winter, not in a good way either.

My back straightened as I realised that my fears were realised, and that my mother was here, this was real. I was sick, and it was her fault. Lisbet, my father, and Shari, the closest thing I had to a mother, were out there, waiting for her. Waiting to protect me from something they could no longer hope to protect me from.

As I watched, she stepped into view, backed by trees, looking as out of place in her neat, Audrey Hepburn style white dress and heels as ever, a simple black choker studded with diamonds at her throat, her silver-y white hair in a tight bun.

On her hands were pure white gloves that only covered up to the wrist, and a cruel smirk spread across her lips as she paused for a second at the beginning of our lawn, before striding purposefully and without fear towards my father.

"Nicholai." I jolted slightly. It was the first time I had heard her say his name... and I would guess, the first time she had, as well.

"Cipicia Joannis. It's been a long time." She dropped the smirk, and all pretence.

"Where is my son, Nicholai?" My father clenched his jaw, arms crossed tight over his chest.

"As I recall, Cipicia, you didn't want him." I winced, but my mother flashed him a smile.

"A mistake on my part. I never realised how much I would miss the loveable little – bundle of joy." Yeah, no one was falling for that.

"What's the real reason?" Shari asked, her tone full of snark, and my mother glowered at her.

"Stay out of it, half breed!" She spat, and Shari growled back, a low, guttural sound that would send chills down the spine of any sane human being. My blood boiled, and I clenched my fists so tight that my fingers turned white.

"What's the real reason you want Leo, Cipicia?" My father ground out, and my mother smiled frostily.

"When your son disappears for years on end, people start to ask questions. Bad questions. I need Leo to do a favour for me, and you're going to let me take him." My father scoffed, taking a step forward so they were eye to eye, although it was more like eye to chin. My mother was tall, but not that tall.

"And what makes you say that?" My mother smirked, pulling something from the small purse that hung on a string of pearls from her shoulder.

"Because I'm the only one who can cure him." She said, shaking the vial in his face. He lunged for it, coming up victorious of course, but she just laughed in his face. "You really think I was daft enough to have brought the real antidote with me? You half-breeds are even stupider than I gave you credit for." My father glared at her, the corner of his lips forced down in distaste.

"And he'll be safe if he goes with you?" Shari's head whipped around.

"Nicholai! You aren't actually considering this are you?" My father's head dropped, but his eyes remained on her, full of pain.

"He's my son Shari. I'd do anything for him." My mother's sinister smirk reappeared.

"That's the attitude I like to see: A mad desperation. Now, Nicholai, my son." My father hesitated, and I took my chance, speeding down the stairs and out the front door, wishing, for the first time, that I had taken the time to dress properly when I had woken up. "Leonides." My mother greeted in a dead tone, my father pressing a hand to my shoulder to keep me in place.

"Mother. Considering your... offer, I have decided to accept." Shari's head snapped around again, and she gaped at me.

"Leo!" I didn't even spare her a glance, no matter how much I wanted to.

"An intelligent decision befitting of a son of mine, Leonides. Let us go, before this filth rubs off on me." I didn't let myself wince, instead choosing to flash a convincing smiling.

"Let's."

* * *

(A/N): So, what did you think?

Also, for the one year anniversary of this story, which is tomorrow, I plan to make a video tribute to this story.

Please review and/or check out my other stories!


	163. Cinderella's Glass Slipper

(A/N): Hey Guys! HAPPY ANNIVERSARY! So, I made that video, it's not very good, but I'll leave the link below. Here's the next chapter, I know it's short, but I'll get started on the next one.

Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognise.

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Leo

It was a strange feeling, riding in a carriage in just my boxers and a t-shirt with my mother sitting across from me, but I fought the urge to up and bolt.

I was terrified to know, of course, what she had planned, but I didn't let myself show it, staring out the window, the countryside passing in a blur.

The horses that pulled the carriage weren't normal, I could tell.

They were pitch black, taller than the average horse and almost as fast as I was, contrasting greatly with the carriage they were pulling, snowy white as it was.

Less than fifteen minutes later, we were in the heart of London, rolling to a stop out the front of a house I recognised as once being my home.

"Don't worry Leonides. No one can see you." My mother assured me as we exited the carriage, the wind tugging at my clothes.

"Well, that's a plus." I said, knowing it would be the only one on this whole trip.

She pushed the front door open like she owned the place, which she did, and I found myself in the familiar front passage.

"Hasn't changed a bit." I whispered to myself, except for the fact that it looked smaller than it had been the last time I had been here.

I followed my mother up the staircase, passing room after familiar room, until I reached the one that used to be mine.

She stood off to one side, watching me, just watching, as I reached out, placing my hand on the knob.

I hesitated for a second, before twisting it, and letting it fall open.

It was exactly as I remembered it.

Mostly bare, but the bed's emerald green covers were still pulled up tight, a layer of dust coating everything in the room, the green and blue rug on the floor's edge having been kicked up the night I had left.

"Get changed, and meet me in the kitchen." She left closing the door behind her.

I was confused for a second, but then I saw, hanging on the back of the door, was a suit.

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(A/N): So, what did you think?

Ooh lala, Leo in a suit!

watch?v=FhLFfRjqYRk

Please review and/or check out my other stories!


	164. The Pumpkin Coach

(A/N): Hey Guys! So, I'm home now, I had an exam earlier today... these next few chapters were written in my notebook over the past few days, and here they are!

Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognise.

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Leo

The suit was an elegant, well-fittedsilver, with a dark green vest made of silk, my tie black, and currently trying to choke me.

"Stupid thing..." I muttered to myself, adjusting it in the mirror before running a wet comb through my hair, leacinf ir neater than I had seen it in almost seven years.

My shoes were a shiny balck, with tips of polished silver. On my finger was the Joannis family ring, a constant reminder of just where I was. After delaying it for a minute longer, I made my way down to the kitchen, which was really a dining room adjacent to the actual kitchen, where we could see the house elves at work.

"Leonides. Are you ready?" Her voice, as always, held a sharp tone. She had changed, now wearing a dark green floor length trumpet dress, a pair of silver, elbow length gloves on her hands, and the same diamond choker at her throat as before.

"As ready as I'll ever be." She flashed me a sharp-toothed smile.

"Good. I'll tell you the details of our deal on the way." From here, she led the way outside to the carriage.

"Why a carraige?" I asked as the horses navigated the busy streets of London, passing straight through car after car, bus after bus.

"It has a certain elegance, don't you think? Makes me feel like the Queen, except not a muggle." While I saw what she meant, the wooden carriage's interior having been lined in silk, I still didn't see the point. "Now, Leonides, you must be confused as to why _I _need _you." _Saving myself some trouble, I simply nodded. "People have started asking questions Leonides. It's been seven years, after all. So, you attend a few balls, clear up all the suspicionsm I give you the antidote after tonight, and you owe me." I raised an eyebrow.

"What if I say, 'screw you' after yu give me the antidote? You won't have any leverage." She tutted at me, smirking.

"If you doublecross me, I'll kill your friends. That's enough leverage, sn't it Leonides?" I looked away, not answering.

"Who's attending this thing, anyway?" I ask, purely out of curiosity.

"A whole host of pureblood families. The Mikaelsonn's, the Romaers's, the Jomi's from Peru, and of couse, it's being hosted by the Black family." I tried to look nonchalant, even though I was as shocked by the news as I had been by my mother's reappearance.

"The usual suspects then."

Less than a minute later, we arrived at a large, olden looking building, clearly a meeting hall of some sort. We both descended from the carriage, me helping my mother down, knowing I needed to fake being the dutiful son I had been before. As I hooked my arm in hers, I saw two familiar faces at the door to the hall.

Sirius... and my stepfather. Chatting politely, together. As we approached, I steeled myself.

"And I was saying-" My stepfather was loud, his hair a dark brown, face cleanly shaven and his eyes the colour of jade.

"Father! Sorry we're a little tardy, my fault entirely." Sirius's head snapped around, eyes wiede.

"Ah, Sirius, this is my son, Leonides." Obviously, my stepfather had been briefed on the situation as well.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Sirius Black." I said, grabbing his hand and shaking it, snapping him out of his daze.

"You as well, Leonides." My mother dropped a hand onto my shoulder.

"Well, we must get inside. Many people to see, much dancing to do." We passed Sirius and entered the hall, decorated elegantly, and full of purebloods in beautiful clothes.

Not too far away, I see Mia, chatting to a few pureblood children her age, wearing a pale green dress with a single line of pearls at her throat, and another at her wrist.

"Miasenna, my darling girl!" My mother called, grasping Mia's cheeks in her taloned hand with a smile. "How goes the gala thus far?" Mia avoided looking at me, her eyes on her parents instead.

"It's been beautiful, stunningly so." From the corner of my eye, I saw Sirius watching us.

"Cipicia, Sebastien, how nice to see you here!" Sirius's mother announced as she neared us, her eyes skating over me sharply.

"Walburga Black. Leonides, this is Sirius's mother, Walburga, this ismy son, Leonides." Walburga watched me with hungry eyes.

"I haven't seen Leonides at one of these things since he was as small as a house elf!" She exclaimed, holding out a hand for me to grasp. "It's nice to see you again." I twisted her hand gently, placing a quick peck on the back of it.

"The pleasure's mine, Mrs. Black." I stepped back, and she ferried Sirius forward. "This is my son, Sirius Orion Black. Say hello, Sirius." She instructed in a cold tone, gripping his shoulder tightly.

"Mr and Mrs Joannis, it's lovely to have you in attendance." My mother smiled sharply, seeing the tint of hatred in his eyes.

"And it's lovely to be here." His eyes darted between the two of us, but I put on the most believable smile I had.

"It's beautiful, really. Having so many purebloods under the same roof, it reminds me of heaven." Sirius watched me with narrowed eye, and I knew he was trying to figure out what was happening, why I was acting so... strange.

"So much purity. This is how it should always be." My mother said, placing a hand on my shoulder, flashing me a smile, but I didn't fail to notice the sad look in her eyes.

"Well, Walburga, we should get to mingling. So much to see, so little time, correct?" My stepfather asked, flashing her a tight lipped smile.

"Right as always, Sebastien. Go on you four, enjoy the gala." Walburga said frostily, but still with a smile. She was nowhere as scary as my mother, but I could see Sirius eying her nervously.

"We will, Mrs Black." Mia assured her, and all four of us made our way away from the Black family.

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(A/N): So, what do you think?

Please review and/or check out my other stories!


	165. The Yellow Brick Road

(A/N): Hey Guys! Here's the next chapter, I'm starting to run out of fairytale names for these things.

Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognise.

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Leo

After almost three more hours of mingling with some of the most notable pureblood families, Sirius sparing glances at me every few seconds, we left the gala, riding back to the house, all four of us jammed into the carriage.

Once inside, my mother handed me a vial of what appeared to be water.

"This will hurt, but it'll work." I hesitated for a second, and slipped it into my pocket. "I'll be in touch the next time I need you, Leonides." She paused for a second, her expression slipping into a scowl. "Now get out my house you _filthy _half-breed."

With that, I left, choosing to walk all the way back to the Ellwood estate, which took four hours, but I wasn't about to complain. I didn't get tred, I was just happy for the time on my own.

The suit chafe a littlem but I barely noticed.

A few miles out from the house, I barely had time to recognise the sound of footsteps before I was in my fathers arms.

"Leo! Are you hurt?" He asked, pulling back, cupping my face as he tried to see if I was injured.

"I'm fine! I'm... fine." Shari pushed my father out of the way, wrapping me in her arms.

"Did you get it? Did you get the antidote?" I nodded, patting my pocket where the antidote was.

"What is it?" Lisbet questioned, her eyes narrowing slightly.

"My guess? Holy water." Their eyebrows shot up.

"You can't take that! It's completely pure, it's extremely toxic to vampires!" I pursed my lips.

"She needs me. She's not going to kill me now, I'm too valuable to her." With that, I pulled the vial from my pocket, removed the stopper, and tipped the contents down my throat.

"Well... How do you feel?" I opened my mouth to reply, and fell to my knees.

"Ah! Ah!" I groaned, grabbing fistfulls of grass in my hands.

"Leo!" I pushed Shari back as she reached for me.

"Ah! I'm- Ah! I'm fine." I told her, pushing myself upright as my vision swam.

"You are not!" My father exclaimed, gripping my shoulder tightly.

"It's- ah! I think it's counteracting the- ah! The toxins from before." I doubled over, retching.

"Oh god..." Shari murmured as I threw up, and was there was blood.

"Leo!" My father cried, his eyes wide and frantic, but Lisbet rolled her eyes.

"Relax you two, it's not his." I spat, sniffing lightly as I drew back.

"Do you feel any better?" Shari asked, and I nodded slwoly.

"A little." My father kept his eyes trained on me.

"Enough to eat?" I shook my head violently.

"God no." The three vampires helped me back to the house, and into bed.

"Go to sleep." I protested, trying to get up, but my father just pushed me down again.

"Go to sleep Leo." Shari told me, and knowing I had no other choice, I did so.

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(A/N): So, what did you think?

Please review and/or check out my other stories!


	166. Little Red Riding Hood

(A/N): Hey Guys! So, I've been trying to find a way to connect the last chapter I wrote, and the next two I've written, and I only just found the way, so, here it is.

Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognise.

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Leo

I woke up the next morning to the sound of Vex hissing at an oversized, brown speckled owl that I recognised as Sirius's perched on my window sill.

I pushed the covers off of myself as I scooted down the bed before swinging my legs over the edge, approaching the bird carefully.

"Morning." The bird cocked it's head at me, and I chuckled. "Just like your owner." I gently untied the small scroll of paper from around it's leg and unfurling it.

_Leo,_

_What in Merlin's saggy, silver-haired buttocks is going on? _

_Sirius_

Short, but definitely to the point.

I sighed, fishing out some spare parchment from one of my desk drawers.

_Sirius,_

_It's complicated. _

_Leo_

I attached the parchment to the owl's leg, stroking his head carefully before moving over to my closet, pulling on a pair of jeans and the first t-shirt I saw.

As I reached the bottom of the stairs, Lisbet looked up from the Daily prophet, flashing me a smile.

"Alright Leo?" I shrugged, taking my seat at the table, doing my best to ignore the food that Shari had prepared and left sitting in the middle of the table.

"Never been better." Shari rolled her eyes, pushing a plate towards me.

"Then why are you still not eating?" My father questioned, and I winced.

"My stomach hurts. It'll go away soon, I'm sure." Shari and my father shared worried looks, but Lisbet only smirked at me over the newspaper.

"Such protective parents, aren't they Leo?" She teased, and I grinned as Shari glared at her.

"A cute couple as well." I said, before having to duck as Shari swatted at me with a frying pan. "Too slow!" I cried, moving to hide behind Lisbet, knowing my father wouldn't take too kindly to my teasing either.

"So help me Leo..." Shari growled, but I only beamed at her.

"What, Shari?" She hesitated for a second, before pursing her lips.

"I _will _tell Elaine you like her." I shrugged, scoffing.

"Please, she knows." All three of them turned to look at me. "What?" My father set down the daily prophet he had wrestled from Lisbet to clasp his hands together and level me with a stern look.

"Well, it's just that, before now, that threat would have sent you into a mass of apologies. Now, 'she knows'?" Shari glanced at my father before back at me.

"What your father is trying to say is, when the hell did she find out?" I paused for a second, wincing slightly.

"Well, I may be exaggerating slightly, but... I've made it pretty obvious that I like her." Lisbet rolled her eyes.

"Oh please, you two are as oblivious to each other as Shari and Nicholai are to each other." I'm sure Shari would have blushed if she could have, and my father rather nimbly whacked Lisbet with the newspaper.

"Well, I know she likes me, and I'm fairly certain she knows I like her, unlike these two-" Shari smacked me over the back of the head.

"Wait a minute, you know she likes you?" Lisbet exclaimed, catching the other two's attention, and I shrugged.

"I overheard her admitting it, yes." Shari quickly pulled me into a tight embrace.

"Leo! Yay!" I rolled my eyes.

"Of course, there's one thing keeping us apart." Lisbet raised an eyebrow at me.

"What's that?" I stared at her for a second, before gesturing to myself.

"Hello! Half-vampire here!" My father rolled his eyes, something he did rather rarely.

"Leo-" I cut him off, narrowing my eyes at him.

"You look me in the eyes and tell me that there isn't even a chance of me ever hurting her, and I'll confess my love for her the next time I see her." He stared at me, slack-jawed for a minute, and I saw the pain in his eyes. "But you can't do that, can you?" He dropped his gaze to the floor.

"Leo..." Shari murmured, and I frowned for a second.

"I'll be back." None of them objected, and as soon as I closed the front door behind me, I switched into vampire speed.

I ran at full speed for over an hour, and at one stage, crossed a busy highway, finding it barely even a challenge to dodge between cars- and at one stage, scaling the side of a truck and flinging myself over it.

Eventually, I arrived at a small town, settling down in a diner rather ironically named, 'Grandma's House', now half-starved.

The server, a latino looking girl, perhaps a few years older than me brought me my bacon and egg meal, and a cup of coffee.

After sitting their for half an hour after having finished my meal, just sipping my now cold coffee and observing the customers: An old man with pants pulled halfway past his armpits, a middle-aged woman in a vest and a guy dressed like a lumberjack; I gave the girl a few notes to pay the bill, and a tip.

"Thanks, Jo." I said, having noticed her name tag earlier, and she looked up from her notepad, startled, giving me a small smile in return for the grin I threw her way.

I exited the diner, and feeling no one looking at me, I took off towards home.

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(A/N): So, there were originally going to be like, two chapter instead of this one, so it may seem like a filler chapter, but it isn't.

Please review and/or check out my other stories!


	167. Beauty and the Beast

(A/N): Hey Guys! So, I'm currently in an exam... don't worry, I already finished the essay we need to write! Now I'm stuck here being **immensly** bored, so I decided to write, which would have been perfect... except for the fact that I've been writing this story in a book lately that is currently in my bag... halfway across the room in bag rack. So, you'll get this chapter at least a few hours, if not days, late. Sorry.

Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognise.

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_My feet slapped the ground as I ran, full speed, terror and adrenaline pumping through my veins as I jumped a low log. I turned my head, looking over my shoulder, trying to see if he was still following me, the beast. _

_Not seeing him there made me run even harder, I could still feel its breath on my neck, even though I knew it wasn't there any more. _

_Perhaps I was delusional, dreaming this all, but the blood leaking from the gash on my forehead and the pain it caused me said otherwise. Either way, I wasn't about to stop running. _

_I dodged between trees, trying to avoid an easy capture, my shoes skidding on the damp mixture of dirt, moss and pine needles that littered the ground of the forest near the diner. _

_I heard it near me, a low, sharp growl, like a shard of glass rubbing against a rock, and I gasped for air, pushing myself harder, even though I knew it was probably futile. _

_Something grabbed my arm, and I tried to swing at it, but it was too fast, and my hand barely swiped at it's side. _

_"Help!" I screamed, but I knew no one could hear me. I was flung against a tree, I had barely any time to register that, before a set of sharp teeth tore into my flesh, and I felt a line of blood leak downwards towards the collar of my red shirt, my eyes bulging, and I screeched at the pain. "Get off!" I felt myself weakening, and I placed my hands between my body and its, pushing as hard as I could, which obviously wasn't hard enough. _

_Black spots appeared in front of my vision, and just before I passed out, I felt my motuh being forced open, and something run down my throat. _

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(A/N): So, what did you think?

OOH, WHO WAS IT?

Please review and/or check out my other stories.


	168. Three Little Pigs

(A/N): Hey Guys! So, as I'm sure you've probably noticed, I'm trying to go with a fairytale theme in chapter naming, yay! So, mysteries shall be resolved.

Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognise.

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Leo

I was awoken at the crack of dawn by Shari and my father, and ushered downstairs for breakfast.

"Now, Leo..." Shari began, before glancing at my father.

"What? What's going on?" They both raised an eyebrow at me.

"Nothing's, 'going on', we just needed to talk to you..." I stared at them sceptically.

"We'll be recieving visitors today, Leo." I was confused. What visitors? Usually they didn't warn me about my friends arriving, but we'd never had any other visitors. Other than my mother.

"Visitors?" I asked, and Shari nodded.

"Very soon, actually. Go upstairs, get dressed." I hesitated for a second, before returning to my room, pulling off my shirt, tugging on a pair of jeans and a dark blue, long sleeve shirt.

While slipping on my shoes, I heard distant footsteps, and hurried back downstairs to finish my breakfast before they arrived. After all, it was rude to eat in front of guests that weren't also provided with food.

And judging by the speed of their approach, we wouldn't be providing them with food any time soon.

My father, Shari and I positioned our selves in the study at the front of the house, and less than a minute later, we heard the front door open and close. It wasn't locked, of course, what would a house full of vampires need a locked door for?

Three vampires entered the room, one I could smell was older than the other two, and the younger ones were one male, and one female, the female familiar to me, though I tried not to show it.

"Nicholai, Shari." The older man greeted, the younger two shying away somewhat, the girl's eyes fixed on me.

"Jerremyah." My father replied with a sharp nod, and the man looked over at his two companions.

"This is Danniel and Joane, though she prefers to go by Jo." My father gave them both a warm smile, though I could tell it was forced.

"This is my son, Leonides." I didn't speak, or give any other indication that I had been introduced, but the others didn't seem to mind.

"Ah yes, the half-breed." I raised an eyebrow, and I heard Shari let out a growl.

"Believe me, Jerremyah, my son could more than half kick your ass." Jerremyah watched me, before nodding sharply.

"Noted." I fought the urge to smirk.

"Leo, we'll be taking in Danniel and Joane and training them. Seeing as they're newly made vampires, they have no training, and very little knowledge of their strengths." Shari informed me, and I stood from my position in the arm chair, choosing to circle them.

They both looked fairly unimpressive, but I knew better than to underestimate them, even if they didn't have years on me, like my father or Greygorry, or even Shari.

I could feel Jerremyah watching me, and with a smile, I purposefully swayed my hips, just a little bit.

"So, you're going to be training us?" Danniel inquired, and Shari nodded.

"That's right, all three of us." I raised an eyebrow, not expecting to be in anyway involved, seeing as I usually wouldn't be allowed.

"How old are you?" Danniel asked, clearly trying to size up his most direct competition.

"Almost fourteen." He was a few years older than me, but not many.

"Good, at least I can take someone here other than Joane." My father chuckled lightly, and I knew I could kick his ass.

"Oh, I doubt that. Leo's been a vampire for longer." Jo raised an eyebrow.

"He's only fourteen! How long could he possibly have been bitten for?" I rolled my eyes playfully.

"I wasn't." She looked perplexed, and Jerremyah spat on the floor.

"He's a half-vampire, a half-breed. He's been a vampire since the day he was born." Danniel frowned.

"So I couldn't take him?" Shari shook her head, smirking.

"Oh, I highly doubt it." Danniel pursed his lips.

"Great. Now everyone here can kick my ass." Joane smirked.

"Just like in real life I bet."

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(A/N): So, what did you think?

Still in the exam, but only for another like, ten minutes, so, eh.

Please review and/or check out my other stories!


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